


Unwavering Belief in Death

by Shorknado



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Graphic Description, Kinda, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shorknado/pseuds/Shorknado
Summary: "They fight and struggle for life as if death were final. Perhaps this is the reason The Entity wipes the slate clean with every resurrection. The unwavering belief that death is real gives weight and gravitas to the trial… to the experience. Otherwise survivors won't care. Wouldn't run. Wouldn't feel. The fear of death is the pulse of life and believing death is real gives emotion to the experience. It, in other words, feeds The Entity."Dwight learns that there's more than one way to die in the Entities realm. And there's more at stake than pain.
Relationships: Dwight Fairfield/Jake Park
Comments: 35
Kudos: 63





	1. Memory 5006

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NiightCrayon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiightCrayon/gifts).



> Okay so that arceus entry and barkers notes fucking inspired me
> 
> In this interpretation of the Entities realm survivors lose their memories upon death. Trials last up to months or even years, and its all painfully real.

Dwight stares at Jake from across the campfire. He stares at the stranger infront of him and feels so much anger it makes his chest hurt. It has nowhere to go, it just stirs inside him like the campfire itself. Throwing heat into the void, prone and useless. 

Jake looks up, their eyes meet for a second before the man looks away. Dwight was unnerving him, that much was obvious. Ever since the man had stumbled out of the woods from the trial he had been staring. He knew what happened to Jake. 

The man had died. They had stuck together for the trial, as always do. Trecking through the foggy sheltered woods for months looking for generators and avoiding the monster in the shadows. Fix the generators, find the exit, survive. Thats all they had been doing for months in that fucking trial, only for Jake to die and...and...

"What?" Jake asks, squinting at Dwight from across the fire. He feels Ace shift away from him, not wanting to bear witness to the miserable interaction yet to come. 

"Nothing." Dwight grumbles, tearing his gaze away from Jake. He should leave, get some fresh air away from the others. Not that he wanted to but he should. 

He needed to get away from Jake. 

"Don't stare at me then." The man says, voice soft but carrying over the fire just as well. He was annoyed. 

Right. He should stop. No point in making himself feel bad. The useless question burns on his tongue hotter than the fires of hell. To ask it would embarrass himself. They all knew the rules. Instead Dwight stands and walks aimlessly into the woods. He rums his fingers through his hair and sighs, dropping down between the roots of a nearby tree. He can still see the flickering flames of the fire, afraid to go to far away from it least he get lost and pulled into another trial so soon. Now he needs to rest, collect his thoughts. It had been a long, hard trial. This was his reward. 

Tears drip down his cheek, and he bites back a sob. Pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in his knees. They had been through three trials together. It had been almost two years to the best of his knowledge. Time wasn't easy to tell here, but his watch still ticked and that was good enough for him. 

Death was not an escape, not here, but it was real. There wasn't just pain in death, there was loss. The slate was always wiped clean. To die in the trials was to go back to square one. To return to the same pain, where the cushion of memory had been ripped away. And worst off all a return to being alone. Leafs rustle and Dwight stops breathing. He looks up and is unfortunately relived to see David emerging from the deeper woods. Being caught crying wasn't exactly the worst case scenario but David King was, well he was David King. 

"Been a bit Fairfield, how's it hanging mate?" David croons, crouching next to him with his annoying ass smirk. 

"Get bent." Dwight replies, wiping away tears. David refuses to give him that kindness and pats his shoulder. 

"There, there champ. I heard Jake died, real shame to loose ya boyfriend like that." David mocks, rubbing dirt in Dwights wounds with a fucking smile. He glares at him with as much hatred as he can muster. 

"Don't." Dwight warnes, slapping David's hand away from him. 

"Aww cheer up love, think of it as a brand new start! Hey maybe I'll get to be his boyfriend this go round, eh?"

When he shoves David the man actually falls back. More in suprise than Dwight actually showing any real strength. The man grins up at him, eyes shining at getting a rise out of the man who usually looks down and ignores him. 

"Go bother someone else." Dwight snaps, rising to his feet and stomping away. 

He can hear David practically cackling behind him as he skirts the edges of the clearing to a better brooding spot. As he walks he can't help but glance at Jake. The man was listening to Ace, who was gesticulating wildly as he talks. Probably filling Jake in on some basics since he wasn't going to. Jake looks up, as if drawn by Dwight's gaze. They're eyes meet and a mixture of anger and desperate love burn through him like a lightning bolt. He looks away, hurrying into the underbrush and solitude. 

**MEMORY 4554**

The wind brings the smell of rot, and Dwight is afraid. It had been hours, at least by the tik of his watch, and he hadn't found a single soul in the rotton corn fields. He thinks back to the fire, to Claudette gently explaining what had happened, and what was going on. He remembered where he was, and what he needed to do. She filled in the gaps with general advise. 

Be quite. Be careful. Stick together, and don't get caught. 

Easy enough. Except he was alone. It made him more scared, to be alone. Every sound could be the monster in the dark waiting to put him on the meathooks strewn about the field. He stares at one in the distance as he walks, watching the rusty metal swing incogruently to the breeze. As if it was hungry to bite into his flesh. That's one thing he remembers. Pain worse than all of hell in his shoulder. Even when the meathook is obscured by the corn he feels as if its presence mocks him. 

A rumble on the wind catches his attention. Generator. Had to be. He starts to run, almost tripping over his own feet in his dash towards the goal. Fix this, get out. Thats the plan. When it comes in sight he lets out a sigh of relief and slows. The beast was grumbling slightly, pistons pumping weakly to signal it was still in need of some fixing up. He almost can't hear the pained breathing coming from behind the machine. Nervously he peeks around to see a man in a green hoodie kneeling in the dirt. Jake. The name pops into his mind before he can even think about it. Relief floods him and he steps around tne generator. 

"Jake I-" He stops when he catches sight of the mans leg gored in the metal claws of a bear trap. Blood soaked his pant leg, gloves and the sleeve of his jacket. 

When Jake looks up his face is awash with agony, Dwight is shocked the man isn't screaming right now. Though he does see relief alight those features at the sight of him. He approaches slowly and kneels down infront of Jake, inspecting the injury. His stomach turns at the sight of the dull metal puncturing his flesh, and blood leaking out between the iron. The smell of it nauseated him almost as much as the sight. He glances at Jake who nods, moving his hands so Dwight can grip the trap as well. 

"On three." He says, voice soft and comforting, Jake nods and takes a deep breath as he braces himself. 

"One...two...three." Dwight counts down. On three they push the metal jaws down at the same time, pulling the teeth from Jake's legs. The cold iron bites into Dwight's hands and he can feel warm blood trickle down his palm as Jake pulls his leg from the trap. They release the jaws and they snap into place with a loud clang. 

Jake lets out a soft pained sigh, breathing in and out a few times before speaking, "Thanks."

"A-Anytime!" Dwight replies, watching Jake roll up his pant leg to inspect his injury.

Dwight creeps closer, feeling his stomach churn at the sight of it. But he can't just allow himself to walk away from the injured man. 

"The chest." Jake says, pointing to his left at an empty wooden box, "There might be bandages in it."

He nods, walking over to it and lifting the heavy lid. The thing was full of junk, which is unsurprising. He starts shifting through the metal and plastic trash. He pulls a few tools out that seem useful before revealing a bright red first aid kit. Dwight grabs it and holds it out to Jake, who takes it and immedietly starts patching himself up. While Jake does so Dwight stands and looks around. He can't see over the corn, the rows stretching out until eternity as far as he would know. Dwight walks over to the generator rests his palms on the warm top. With more effort than he'd like to admit he heaves himself up ontop of the machine, grabbing the light pole for balance as he stands. He could peek over the tops of the corn now. It stretched on for a while, but not forever. To his left he could see a tree in the distance, to his right not much. What seemed like a hill without corn. Which was exciting. 

"Having fun up there?" Jake's comments. It almost makes Dwight laugh despite the situation. 

"Almost." Dwight replies, a movement catching his attention. 

Another crow takes flight, and he watches the corn shift. A dark hulking figure was moving through the rotten fields, light by a ghostly red light. Dwight's heart starts to pound when he realizes the monster was coming this way. He jumps off the generator, rushing a few steps to Jake. 

"We have to go! I-It's coming!" Dwight hisses, fighting the urge to run for his life and abandon his only teammate. 

Jake curses and struggles to his feet, breathing heavily and clenching his jaw. Dwight immediately goes to Jake's side and pulls the mans arm over his shoulder, other gand resting on Jake's hip. He can feel Jake hesitate before leaning his weight on Dwight's shoulder. With a deep breath they hobble off as fast as they can. Jake moves shockingly fast with barely a leg to stand on. 

"Thank you." Jake says through pained wheezes, "For not leaving me."

"I don't think I could if I tried." Dwight admits. He didn't want to be alone, and he didn't want anyone to die on his watch. 

\- x -

He stares at his watch, the second hand ticks in steady circles. The memories tug at his mind. Mocking him with what he has and Jake has lost. How many times had this happened? Countless no doubt. An endless cycle of death and memories and love and hate. 

All for what? The thing in the dark to eat?

Its whispers weigh on him this far from the warm light of safety. He would go back soon. Bide time until the next trial like they usually do. Burn a few favors that he finds, talk to others about monsters and places he's yet to see this go round. Claudette said he had survived two trials last time. Said he had died to get her out. 

He doesn't remember, but he believes her. She said the monster had a chainsaw and ran faster than she had ever seen. Claudette had been around for a while. He was grateful for that. 

It was cold out here. So far from the fire and the others. 

Dwight stands and starts walking back. He moves quietly through the brush, mostly on instinct than any real drive to sneak around. He can hear sone others as he moves, the hushed voices of Nea and Jane chit chatting about something as they walk through the endless woods. It's been a while since he's seen them, he should say hello soon. Dwight pushes a branch aside and steps into a small clearing. Jake looks up in suprise, relaxing at the sight of Dwight but still eyes him suspiciously. 

"Hey....Dwitch...right?" Jake asks, tilting his head curiously. 

"Dwight." He corrects, crossing his arms and looking for the best way to quickly extract himself from this situation. 

"Oh...sorry." Jake stands then, shoving hands into his coat pockets. Something he always did when he was nervous or upset. He wanted to say something but didn't know how. 

"It's fine..." Dwight replies. He should at least try to make an effort to not be rude, "How are you holding up?"

Jake shrugs, "Fine...I guess."

"Good....good." Dwight smiles, and wonders if it would be weird to burst into tears now. It was so hard to look at Jake, let alone talk to him like a stranger. After everything they had went through this hurt almost worse than watching him die. 

"Have you seen Claudette?" He asks, deciding to leave after all. 

"...By the campfire. I think."

"Great!" Dwight steps forward, giving Jake a wide berth as he passes the clearing towards the fire. 

"Do I know you?" Jake asks suddenly. Dwight can hear the determination in his voice, meaning he had been thinking about the question for a while. 

"We all know eachother." Dwight avoids the question with as much grace as he can muster. Jake's brows furrow in the way they do when be isn't given an adequate answer, but he knows Jake won't actually press the issue further. 

Before he pushes his luck too hard he pushes past some foiliage and heads towards the fire quickly. His chest hurt, and he felt the saddness starting to morph into a darker emotion. It wasn't Jake's fault, but it hurt. It hurt and filled him with anger he had never felt before. The light of the fire appears in the distance, and puts the bad thoughts out of his mind. A small spattering of fellow survivors were hanging around tbe flames. He spots Claudette and sits next to her. She smiles at him, but her eyes are sad. 

"I heard what happened." She says, sounding much more sympathetic than David, "I'm sorry."

"Me too." 

She pats his knee and he feels comforted by the action. His eyes drift over to the wayward souls at the fire, and the land on Meg. She was chatting idly with a survivor he didn't recognize this go round. She glances up at him and smiles, waving before going back to her conversation. 

"How do you do it?" Dwight asks, not even having to look at Claudette to know she was staring at Meg. 

"It's hard sometimes. Easy other times." She replies, voice wistful.

"Easy?" Dwight snorts, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his eyes, "I can't see this shit ever getting easy."

"It's different for you two." Claudette muses, "Meg is very...forward. And normally I am not but...I know she likes me so it's...easy to let what we lost rekindle."

Dwight is silent, staring into the fire and thinking over her words. He hadn't seen the two in a long time, but he assumes Meg hadn't made it through the last trial she was in considering her position at the fire. Last time he saw her she was glued to Claudette in the same way he was glued to Jake. 

"It's all gone." Dwight mumbles, "All those years are gone and I...I..."

"You're upset-"

"I'm fucking angry." Dwight admits, trying to feel ashamed, "How could he do this to me?" 

His voice comes out as a guilty whisper. Tears are pricking at his eyes and he fights them off through labored breathing. 

"He left me alone." 

Claudette is silent next to him, thinking over what to say to make him feel better. Although Dwight has a feeling nothing could possibly make him feel better except having Jake back. The one he remembers. The one he loves. 

"You know how it is in the trial, Dwight. It's easy to get scared and-"

"Not Jake. He's better than that." Dwight snaps, "Even at the end he didn't leave me. He..." 

He sniffles and stops, shaking his head sadly. Too soon, it was far too soon. Claudette's hand gently rubs his back, falling into silence instead. It was better than talking about his half baked thoughts and feelings. Might as well let them stir and fester inside. 

"We filled Jake in for you." Claudette says, "You...don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

Dwight nods, feeling a bit guilty for skimping on his duties. It was more of an unofficial rule in this pocket realm of hell that he was the leader of sorts. Probably his survival instincts making him what he had wanted to be on the outside. That and as far as they knew he and Claudette had survived the most trials so far. With three under his belt and seven under Claudette's. Countless more forgotten to the fog of death. They had to show the newly revived the ropes, to preserve what little sense of control they had. At least that's how they saw it. Lots of unspoken rules around these parts. 

"Who's that? With Meg."

"Zarina. This is your first time seeing her this go round."

"Ah. She nice?" 

"Nice enough. Interesting stories."

That was good. It was fun to meet new people. Even if they weren't technically new. He hears Claudette take a breath to speak, hesitating momentarily. 

"Jake...asked about you."

He doesn't responde.

"He said you looked familiar. And that you stared at him."

"Couldn't help it."

Dwight sighs and leans his head on Claudette's shoulder. He closes his eyes and tries to soak in the warmth of the fire. He would miss it soon.


	2. Memory 5160

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some precious fee fees coming ur way

"Do...you have any advice for the trials?" Jake asks, catching Dwight off guard and making him flinch. 

He looks up from scraps of bandages he was trying to scavenge into a makeshift medkit. Jake shoves his hands in his pockets, and stares down at him from the edges of the trees. Waiting patiently for a response. 

"Stick with Quentin." Dwight replies, looking down at his hands. They were shaking. 

"...Who's Quentin?" 

Right. The kid was either out in a trial or wondering the woods aimlessly trying to stay awake. Or with David, unfortunately.

"That's all I got." Dwight says, rolling a long scrap of fabric into a neat bundle before setting it into the medkit with three more bundles, "See ya."

He doesn't hear the sound of Jake walking away at his dismissal. After a few long seconds he chances a glance up to see the man still standing over him, unmoved. Unfortunately for him, Jake could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. But that wasn't news to him. 

"So that's it?" Jake asks, frustration dripping from his words, "Your best advice is to hope I just so happen to drop into a trial near a guy I've never met before?"

Dwight feels guilt wash over him, what kind of advice is that. He may be mad at him but that's no reason to set Jake up for failure. He shoves a relativly clean needle into the makeshift bandages and sets the spool of fishing wire in with them. 

"You're better off asking Claudette."

"She sent me to you."

Figures. She wanted him to work things out, which he should of course. But he just wasn't good at these things, he had the emotional capacity of a shelled pistachio for fucks sake. And Jake wasn't much better. They were probably the worst two people to get into this situation in this whole hell pit. Even Meg was more emotionally capable than him, and he's seen her yell at a rock for tripping her. Dwight holds back a sigh, that would annoy Jake and push him further away. Instead he closes the medkit and stands, holding the red box out to Jake. The man stares at it before looking up at Dwight. He raises an eyebrow, skeptical. 

"It will help, in the trial." 

"I can't. You need it."

"I can find my own, and Quentin has a knack for pulling them out of the ground. I'll be okay."

He shoves the medkit into Jake's chest and pulls back. Jake almost drops it before begrudgingly accepting the gift. It would barely patch up a cut but it was better than bleeding out alone in the woods. 

"...Are you serious about finding this Quentin guy?"

Dwight shrugs, "Yeah. He finds medkits, knows where the gates are, looks out for us. He's a good guy, barly made it through our last trial together. Haven't seen him since."

He rubs the back of his neck and looks around, as if Quentin would materialize out of thin air at the mention of his name. The trees around them didn't move, just him and Jake, and the constant hum of evil. 

"...What did you face in that trial?" 

"We faced The Nightmare." Dwight says with a shrug, "Quentin knows more about it than me. Its...a weird one."

The memories are not good. Sleep isn't exactly required in this realm, there was a sort of comatose one could fall into if they tried. No dreams, usually. In that trial he had nightmares for the first time in a long time. Felt the exaughstion of sleep deprivation weighing on his shoulders and fraying his mind to bits. Haunted and hunted by the man in the sweater. He stalked both worlds, pulling them in and out of two different hells at will. Needless to say it was not a good trial. 

"...We?" Jake frowns ever so slightly.

"Yeah. You were there." Dwight bites his lip, annoyed at how angry he sounded. It's not Jake's fault. He can't be upset. It wasn't fair. 

Unfortunately Jake already caught his tone and full on glares at him. Knowing Jake he doesn't really believe in the memory shit that happens, which he doesn't blame him. Jake is a very serious person and isn't an outright believer in superstions, but he doesn't think they're lying. He didn't really believe it either when he first came back. Eventually he would meet someone who has forgotten and buy it. Until then he just thinks Dwight's being a huge fucking cunt. Which is true. 

"Look wherever you show up just try to find someone else as fast as possible. Its easier to survive with others, and we all have a sort thing going on. No ones gonna let you die if they can help it." Dwight explains with a hand wave, trying to not sound upset. By the steady look of annoyance on Jake's face he wasn't doing a good job. 

"Tell me about the Nightmare trial." Jake demands, "What did we do?"

Right. That was a normal thing to be curious about. Something he supposedly did with no actual memory of doing it. He was probably trying to figure out if the things Dwight said sounded like things he would actually do. 

"Well we were in a uh...junk yard I guess. Busted up cars with weird stuff in them. It was you, me, Quentin, Meg, Kate and Jane." 

**MEMORY 9467**

"One two Freddy's coming for you." Quentin whispers under his breath, just loud enough to be heard over the rumble of the generator, "Three four better lock the door."

Jake glances at Dwight, who shrugs in defeat as tightens a bolt with a tool that isn't supposed to be uses for that. He looks down at his hands, plugging a few wires into the sockets he hoped were supposed to be plugged into. The generator seems to chug faster as he does so. This would make the third one. 

"Seven, eight, stay up late. Nine, ten never....never..."

A loud bang sounds from Quentin's side of the genetator. The man jerks back, eyes wide before shaking his head and starring at the gears. His eyes were glassy and tired. They were all tired. Jake had never realised how awful it was to be tired when he wasn't. He yearned for the solace of never having to sleep in this hell hole. 

"Quen, why don't you take a break." Dwight pipes up over the generator, "I know you don't want to but a quick nap will help you stay focused."

The glassy brown eyes stare at Dwight for a long time as Quentin processes the information. Eventually he nods, rising from the generator and stumbling a few paces away. Jake watches him practically collapse on the ground and go still. Looked more dead than asleep. 

"You wanna sleep after Quentin?" Dwight asks, using a flathead screwdriver on a philips head nail. 

"You should sleep first." Jake says, knowing that Dwight hadn't slept in at least two days. Quentin was hitting what must have been three and he had gotten a nap in a day ago. 

"Probably." Dwight sighs and rubs his eyes before resting his head forehead against the generator, "Makes me miss Trapper."

"Really?"

A few seconds of silence passes before Dwight sits up. Rubbing his chin and smearing oil all over his face. 

"Yeah. I can walk and watch my feet better than I can walk and sleep." 

It was funny how Dwight was so much better at seeing traps than he was despite Jake being the woodsman. At least it was easy for him to bite back a scream of pain when he stepped in them. 

"When we get out of this I think I'm going go sleep until next-"

The generator starts spurting out blood. Jake is so shocked he crosses two wires and gets a face full of smoke and heat. He quickly backs away from the gory fountain that was once a generator and starts to run towards a pile of cars to duck behind. 

"Quentin! Wake up!"

He looks back at Dwight, who was shaking a sleeping Quentin as hard as he can. Fuck, of course. A split second of hesitation and Jake is running back, grabbing tje half asleep Quentin from Dwight and lifting him up with a grunt. Quentin may be a lanky little shit but the guy was almost six foot tall, couldn't way less than two hundred pounds. He looks at Dwight, jerking his head to right. The man nods and starts running the other way, back to the generator. The form of a man was starting to emerge from the blood fountain. Jake runs, managing to half carry and mostly drag Quentin behind the pile of trashed cars as the man wakes up. Behind him he can hear Dwight crying out in pain. 

"Jake you can put me down." Quentin mumbles, still barely sounding conscious. He does so gratefully, setting the man on his feet. Quentin shakes his head, slaping his cheek and trying to stay focused. 

The sound of running footsteps approaches, along with the horrible scraping of metal on metal. Dwight must be circling back, there wasn't anywhere to go the way he ran. Acting fast Jake opens the back door of a nearby ruined sedan and shoves Quentin into the back seat, jumping in after and slamming the door shut. Its a bit of a squeeze for two adult men, but they both manage to stat down below the windows. With Quentin wedged between the seats on the floor and Jake laying across the back seat, a knee resting on Quentin's back. Moments later a dark shadow passes, which was probably Dwight. Quentin covers his mouth to muffle his panicked breathing as the red fire flickers over the window, a heartbeat more like thunder rattling tjeir ears. The Nightmare. They sit in silence in the cramped sedan until the sound of the heartbeat fades away. 

"Fuck." Quentin whimpers, almost in tears. This was his first trial, and it was starting to get to him really bad. 

Jake opens the door and crawls out out. His hands slip on a small pool of blood staining the grass, and he looks in the direction the Nightmare followed Dwight.

"Go back to the generator." Jake orders, standing to follow the trail of blood. 

"Wait, wait where are you going?" Quentin asks, grabbing the sleeve of Jake's jacket. He can practically hear Quentin begging him not to leave with his silence. 

"See if I can help. Might need to get Dwight off a meat hook."

He can hear the rise in Quentin's panicked breathing and wishes he was the one getting chased so Dwight could calm him down. This wasn't his forte. 

"Focus on getting that engine working. Its better than both of us going after Dwight." Jake says, turning and giving what he hopes is a reassuring half smile, "Faster we do that, faster we get out."

Quentin nods, rubbing his eyes and taking a breath. Jake can hear him mutter a small prayer before turning and running back to the generator. Jake follows the bloodtrail quickly and quietly. The sound of the Nightmares heartbeat starts to pulse in his ears before he catches sight of Dwight. He was on the other side of a pallet dropped between two waist high walls of crushed cars staring at nothing on the other side. It isn't until Jake creeps closer that the Nightmare materializes. The monster was suprsingly short, but that didn't quite make him less terrifying. The gloves blades drip with Dwight's blood. 

"F-fuck you!" Dwight yells, voice shaking from fear as he gasps for breath. Exaughsted from all the running. 

The monster laughs, its more horrifying than it being silent. Leaves, or maybe ashes drip down from the grey sky around him. Blood gushes from Dwight's side, staning his shirt as it drips, and the man wobbles on his feet. No doubt starting to feel woozy from bloodloss. The monster kicks the pallet and its explodes into splinters. Dwight turns to run, stumbling over his own feet and barely catching himself of a totaled car. The beast moves and a clawed hand grabs Dwight's hair, bashing his head into the car with a meaty thud. Dwight cries out in pain as the monster jerks him into his chest. Jake can see the things malformed mouth move as it whispers something to Dwight before throwing him over his shoulder. 

Jake looks to his left and sees a meat hook sweaying in the wind. A glance back at the Nightmare reveals it heading towards the torture device. He runs to his, crouching down and reaching into the space between the two wooden splints holding the meathook up. The heartbeat thunders in his ear and he can hear Dwight grunts of struggle as the monster approaches. Jake ignores this, putting all his attention in uniting the knot attached to the base of the device that holds the hook up. He hears the sound of metal on metal just before the knot finally loosens. Diving forward he barely avoids the blades as the heavy metal meathook falls. The Nightmare grunts in pain when the hook hits him, and Dwight grunts when he hits the ground from the short drop.

He looks back and watches Dwight scramble to his feet and take off towards a wall of cars. Then he meets the cold green eyes of the Nightmare, staring him down from the remnents of a face. The monsters hearbeat pounds in in his ears, the red stain lighting up the ground between them with bright fire. 

Jake flips the monster off before starting to run. 

\- x -

The fire was warm, and Dwight had good hand. Ace was smiling at him in amusement, sunglasses reflecting the flickering flames of the fire. Dwight looks at the cards on the open medkit. He had a Ace and a Eight, giving him a soft eighteen. He could try his luck for a three, but knowing Ace he wouldn't get lucky. Ace only had a king, meaning he needed a nine or ace to beat his hand.

"Hit?" Ace asks, tilting his head curiously. 

"Stand." 

Ace flips the card to...reveal an ace. Dwight groans and falls back on the ground. 

"You're cheating!" Dwight calls from the floor as Ace retrives the cards with a laugh. He can hear them being shuffled with an expert hand. 

"I'd never!"

"No one wins at Blackjack that many times in a row without counting cards!" 

"I'm just a lucky guy. Maybe some of it will rub off on you." Ace teases. 

Dwight flips him off and sits up, grinning at Ace, "One more round!"

"Atta boy!" 

He sits up, pulling his back of cigarettes from his pocket. They seemed to reappear after every trial, when his wounds were healed. Every now and then when he scavenged a old hoodie or pants from his past life he would find a half empty pack in the pockets. A small blessing from his bad habbits. He lights a cigarette off the endless ethereal fire and holds the pack out to Ace, who takes and lights one as well. When he inhales the smoke it doesn't give him the same chemical rush he remembers, but the action comforts him in its familiarity. 

"Can I ask you for advice?" Dwight asks, watching in amusement as Ace cuts the deck in two equal halfs. 

"Sure can. Won't be good advice that's for damn sure." Ace replies, dealing him a two and a four. He deals himself a eight and face down card. 

"Any idea what I should do about Jake?" 

Ace takes a drag from his cigarettes and leans back. The starless murky sky is reflected in his sunglasses, and it makes Dwight miss them. The older man thinks for a while before sighing. 

"That's a tough one. I'd avoid the guy entierly but..." Ace's eyebrows raise over his sunglasses, "That ain't your style."

"Unfortunately not. Hit."

Ace puts down a five. Not to bad, unlike the advice he got. He watches Ace lift his hat and run his ringed fingers through his greying hair, thinking of better things to say. 

"It's not easy, kid. I can see you're feelin'...a lot of shit right now and there ain't any good way out of it." Ace says carefully, "Just kinda...go with the flow."

Dwight raises his eyebrows at the man who shrugs in clarification. 

"Hit."

Ace deals out a four, putting him at fifteen. 

"It's gonna be hard but if you treat him like you usually do it'll be easier. Not the same but you can't keep hurting yourself over it, y'know."

Ace was right. It would never be the same, and thats why it hurts so damn much. It makes him wish Jake was dead, forever. That he didn't have to see the man walking around like nothing was wrong. Like he didn't abandon him. 

"Are you gonna hit?" Dwight asks, changing the subject. 

"Lady luck is on my side."

"Stand then."

Ace flips his face down card and reveals an ace, putting him at nineteen. 

"I win again." 

Dwight flicks his cigarette butt into the fire and sighs, "You ever get tired of cheating?"

"Can't say I do, kid."

**MEMORY 44637**

Jake lets out a slow breath as Dwight stabs the needle into his skin, pulling the mangled flesh of his shoulder together. He can feel Dwight's warm breath on his chest as he ties the fishing wire off with shaky hands before looking up at him. Blood was smeared all over his face from his broken nose, but he still gives Jake a comforting smile. 

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." Jake replies, pulling his tank top back on along with his jacket. A meat hook through the shoulder really woke him up. At least Quentin finished that generator before he got strung up.

Dwight nods, sitting back and squinting at him. He had lost his glasses after getting his head bashed into the car. Thankfully he got away, but Jake was eventually caught and left hanging for a few hours while Dwight tried to find him without sight. The man was not going to last long without his glasses. Jake uses the car behind him and pushes himself to his feet. Dwight stands as well, groaning as the claw wounds on his back reopen a bit. They were probably already scabbing over from the gauze Jake had wrapped around Dwight's chest. They'd be gone in a few hours no doubt. At least the wounds sustained didn't last as long as they normally would in this place. 

"Do you mind going back to that one meat hook? I uh, dropped my glasses."

"That's an understatement." Jake comments dryly, looking around the maze of cars before starting towards the completed generator lights about a mile away. 

Dwight was slightly ahead of him and he notices that the mans shirt was basically ripped to shreds in the back. They'd have to check a few trunks and chests for clothes later. Jake feels warmth rise to his cheeks at a thought. He lets a few minutes of Dwight stumbling blindly to build up enough confidence to ask. 

"Do...you want my jacket?"

"Huh?" Dwight glances back in confusion. 

"Your uh, shirt is barely hanging on. And the green blends in more than white. Just until we find more clothes." Jake says, words rushing out the more nervous he becomes. Dwight blinks at him, opening his mouth to refuse before hesitating. 

"S-sure."

Jake shrugs his jacket off wincing slightly when he justles his shoulder and holds it out to Dwight. The man takes it and puts it on, suprsingly it fits perfectly. Jake feels a little chilly in just his tank top and scarf, but its worth it since Dwight looks awfully cute in it. Even with the busted nose. 

"Why does this smell like a car air freshener?" Dwight asks, taking a step forward and bumping into a car window. 

"You mean a pine tree?" Jake asks, taking Dwight's hand in a burst of confidence and leading him through the junkyard. 

"Is that what those things are supposed to smell like?" Dwight asks, squeezing his hand tight. It comforts him, so he squeezes back.

"I hope that's a joke."

"I'm a city slicker."

Jake snorts, shaking his head as he leads Dwight around the scraps and shrapnel, "How's your nose?"

"Feels like shit. I really hope when we get outta hear it goes back to normal." Dwight says, reaching up and rubbing a finger over the now crooked appendage, "I don't wanna look like David."

He tilts his head, staring at Dwight's busted up nose, "I dunno, I think its kinda cute."

"Oh shut it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trials are very much not like the game. Survivors can hide in cars and killers can vault pallets and shit.  
> This is a more realistic take, kinda. And heavily based of bemedict bakers journal entries about game mechanics. Its all super neat stuff deff go read them for entity lore.  
> Also theres 4-8 survivors in each trial. Fuck you thats why.


	3. Memory 5279

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing has slowed down bcs work is wearing away at me

It was almost time for a trial. Dwight could feel him self starting to get antsy, and he could feel the darkness tugging at him more and more with every passing minute. No one was keen on going to trials, obviously, but holding out wasn't a good option. The darkness would drive you crazy. The act of going to trials was an interesting feat however. Once the call of the darkness was heard it stuck with you, no matter what. Compelling the trial goers towards the fire, and others away. Eventually six would be left standing in a circle while the monsters watched from the treeline. Then they would open their eyes in the trial grounds, just like that. 

Dwight was avoiding the fire, rooting through the underbrush for a favor. They came in all sorts of forms. Trinkets, flowers, photos. When burned at the campfire they did something. He knew that certain items would bring them to certain locations, according to Claudette. Others, he wasn't too sure what they did. The flowers offered a boost of confidence, maybe. He always hoped to find something good amongst the forest, no one ever found more than one in the downtime between trials. But trading was about the only activity one could do at the campfire, and its not like they had any actual storage space besides their pockets. 

He was hoping to find a coin in the brush. Ace was a fan of them, willing to trade all sorts of items for one. The older man believed they made more of the heavy wooden chests appear, and was willing to gamble with finding them than bringing something else in. Dwight personally couldn't attest to the claim, having never been in a trial with Ace or anyone who burnt a coin. He stands with a sigh and wipes his hands on his jeans, no such luck yet. Going to a trial without burning a favor felt wrong somehow, and as much as the darkness slithered and begged in his brain he wasn't leaving the woods until he found an offering Dwight turns, and a flash of milky white catches his eye. 

Hanging from the branch of a tree just out of reach was a white shroud. Jackpot. Dwight walks over to the branch, jumping and barely managing to grab the shroud and pull it down. The cloth was made of soft washed out cotton with four tight knots at the corners. This was his favorite offering to the entity. When someone burned one he usually started with someone else, which saved him the trouble of finding a teammate. With a favor in hand he makes his way towards the campfire, mind now worrying over who his teammates would be. Pushing aside a branch he steps into the clearing, and almost groans at the sight of Jake sitting on the log. 

Taking Ace's advice he had avoided the man with frightining ease. Mostly he attributed the ability to sneak and hide to the trials under his belt, but it made him worry at how unobservant Jake had become again. That wouldn't help. Dwight approaches slowly, sitting on the log oppisite of Jake and waiting for the othets. He stares at the fire, as Jake stares at him. Its uncomfortable. 

He took one half of Ace's advice. Might as well take the other. With as much tact as he can muster Dwight stands and walks around the fire. Jake looks up at him suspiciously as Dwight holds the cloth out to him. He doesn't try to take it. 

"It's a favor. If you burn it you'll start the trial with someone." Dwight explains as Jake reaches out and takes it, "It helps."

Jake looks at the fabric and then at the fire. Standing to drop the cloth into the flames. The fire sparks and rises a foot higher as the shroud is consumed. 

"Did it work?" Jake asks, watching the flames lower to their usual docile levels. 

"Yeah." Dwight returns to the log across from Jake and sits down, "Now we wait."

Claudette joins Jake on the log after a while, then Meg flops down. Chatting idly with him about her past trial. It was against some sort of weird demon thing with a flower mouth. It was honestly very interesting that things like that could exist in this realm. 

"Hey." Quentin's voice draws Dwight's attention and he smiles at the guy. David emerges from the woods just behind him, and Dwight stops smiling instantly. 

"Good day for a trial, innit?" David calls, dropping a bundle of flowers into the fire, "Oi Jake this your first time seein' Quen again?"

Dwight feels a headache in his temples and rolls his eyes as David talks. Quentin smiles sadly and waves at Jake, who barely waves back. With all the members of the trial present a heavy silence falls. Every who's sitting rises and they all move to circle the fire. Without looking he knows Jake stood next to him when the faintscent of pine nettles hits him. A deep pressure bears down on them, and the fire shifts from warm to uncomfortable hot. Dwight closes his eyes, he always does when the trials start, and reaches to his left. The warm and familar leather of Jake's glove entwins in his fingers. He squeezes slightly, and he gets a squeeze in return. All sound and feeling fades away for what feels like forever. 

He hears the rain before he feels it. Warm and light as it hits his skin. Rain. That was a new one. The forst was pine filled with large pine trees and muggy air as far as he could see. Mud squelches beneath his feet as he surveys his surrondings, within eyesight was Claudette already making her way towards him. To his left stood Jake, staring around the forest in barely hidden nerves. He was hoping the guy would be with Claudette, Meg and Quentin. Giving him the best chance of survival and time for Dwight to do what he planned on. 

"Aww, you're here too?" David coos, smile looking more like bared teeth as ge trots down a small hill behind dwight3 "Good to see you two love birds back together. Maybe this time you'll both make it out to your-"

"Get lost." Dwight interupts. Not wanting to Deal with David so soon in the trial. 

David immedietly puffs up the challenge, Opening his mouth to retort when Dwight sighs in his face. 

"Sorry am I bothering you?" David sneers. 

"Yeah, Dave. You are."

He watch the smile fall off David's face instantly, and hopes he doesn't look too smug. David hated being called Dave, and Dwight knew it. The look on his face is absolutely murderous, and he's on Dwight in a second. Grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt and lifting him up. He hears Claudette let out a quite protest, but focuses entirely on David. 

"You're mopey little attitude better dissapear real fast." David hisses, low enough for just him to hear, "Because watching you make Park's life a living hell because of your hurt feelings is getting on my damn nerves."

"Like you care, King!" Dwight snaps, keeping his voice just as low, "Lay off me."

"I do care, Fairfield. Obviously more than you do. You really gonna leave him to the wolves on his first trial just because he can't remember your first kiss? Leader my fucking ass." David snorts and shoves Dwight back. He slips in the mud and falls heavy onto the ground, warm water soaking through his pants quickly. 

"Grow the fuck up." 

David turns away from him then. Marching away from the three and towards the flickering lights of a generator in the distance. The words make Dwight see red, and he wishes he had some foreign object to stick in David's eye socket. Instead he takes a breath and sits up with as much dignity as he can muster. Waving off Claudette's hands trying to help him up. He looks at the two and puts on his best authoritative voice. 

"You two go with David. I'll find Meg." 

Jake and Claudette share a look, and he feels his resolve shake. It had been less than three minutes and he already felt strung out from this trial. He watches in exasperation as Claudette's expression becomes detertmined and she grasps his arm with her thin fingers. 

"We need to talk." She says, accented voice rife with concern and not anger. It relaxes him a little.

Jake's eyes flick between the two of them curiously. In respose to his look Claudette smiles at him. 

"Can you give us a minute? Keep watch, please?" 

"Sure." Jake shrugs, pretending to be uninterested. Dwight could tell he wanted to know what was up. 

Claudette drags him a few feet away, out of earshot and under a large pine tree. The rain had made the shoulders of his dress shirt damp, and coated their glasses. They take a few moments to clean off their respective eyewear on the dry parts of his shirt before Claudette sighs. Crossing her arms and chewing her lip, thinking of what to say to him. She wasn't good with confrontation, so this was hard for her. It made him feel bad. Maybe that was her plan, guilt him into being a better person. 

"You're not going off on your own." She says finally.

"Why not." 

She gives him a hard look, "Stop running away from your problems. It's hurting Jake."

His eyes drift past her to the man in question. He had hunkered down under another large tree. Almost blending in to the dull green grass and foliage. Dwight can see his head tilt as he scans the horizon, dutifully keeping watch.

"It's hurting me too." He grumbles, sounding more like a petulant child than a thirty year old man, "You stick with Jake. Show him the ropes. This isn't my first trial."

Claudette sighs in frustration, tugging at her dreads. A habit for when she's particuarly frustrated.

"Are you trying to make it your last?" She huffs in annoyance. 

"Yeah."

The words leave his mouth before he can stop him. He watches Claudette's face morph from concern to anger then worry. 

"Dwight. Don't do this."

"Look I'm not gonna throw this trial! I'm no monster! Just...when the gates open I won't be coming out."

"Dwight I know this hurts, but acting like this won't help."

"Oh and getting out will? There's no point!"

She sighs at the, rubbing her temples. Dwight crosses his arms, rubbing at the damp skin even though he wasn't cold. 

"Living won't bring him back." He mumbles, gaze straying to the man standing vigil over them. Loneliness weighs heavily on his shoulders. 

"And dying means you'll lose him again." 

Its not good or right to kill the same thing twice. But was it really a loss if he can't remember? It was harder to live with the memories, in his opinion. Better to have nothing than to know just how much he had lost. Claudette suddenly looks off into the distance, and he knows she's sensing something. 

"I think...someone got hurt." Claudette says, "I'm gonna go try and find them. Please be safe."

"Take Jake with you!"

She narrows her eyes at him, warm brown and determined. 

"No. You take David's advice. Grow up."

He watches her turn away and jog away, vanishing into the wet underbrush. When David said it he felt rage but Claudette saying it was a new level of humiliation. Man maybe the other three can say it to him and he can feel a whole slew of feeling like shit. With a sigh he presses his palms into his eyes and watches the colors swirl for a few seconds. Enough time was being wasted standing around talking. Dropping his hands he walks over to Jake, who rises from his crouch as he approaches. 

"Is Claudette gonna be okay alone?" Jake asks, staring into the direction she disappeared. 

"Yeah, she's very self sufficient. And being five foot nothing helps her hide."

The man thinks a moment before nodding. She was better off without two big men giving away her location. Jake turns his dark eyes back to him, and Dwight tries not to look away. Neither of them liked it, but he needed to be a good leader. 

"Which way do you wanna go?" Dwight asks, knowing Jake doesn't like being ordered around by buisness types. 

"Does it matter?"

Dwight shrugs, "More than you think, but less than you hope."

Jake turns left, staring through a cospe of trees critically. The rain had made his hair wet, the normally fluffy strands laid flat against his face. It reminds him off the last time he had seen Jake's hair wet, even if it wasn't water. 

**MEMORY 257O**

The corn rustles, and Dwight presses himself against the bark of the tree. Heartbeat in his chest thundering almost louder than the Trapper's pulse in his ears. The monster drops Kate onto the meathook, and her shrill scream pierces the dry air. He winces, clasping a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing as the lumbering monster passes. Dwight licks his cracked lips and slowly pushes off the tree. Kate sobs softly from her spot on the meathook, but he ignores her. They had a sort of plan to stick to right now, and his job was to find Jake. 

Paranoia and unease keeps him from running, instead he walks as quickly as he can towards the shack. That was where the four of them had been working on a generator together. He knew they had been making a little too much noise, talking over the roar and dropping their guard as the machine pumped louder. If Adam hadn't caught sight off the monster lumbering towards them from the window and yell he didn't doubt that they'd be in far worse condition. Adam had been in more trials than them. There was something about the mans presence that immedietly calmed him down. He was the one that made the plan. Adam would get Kate off the meathook if it came to that, and Jake would get Dwight. 

He had to believe in that plan as he steps over a trap and into the dilapidated shack. The generator was pumping away now, who finished the repairs was anyones guess. Blood was smeared on the floor, still wet and shining in the dim light. The marks lead down the stairs into the earth. He didn't remember them being here a while ago. Unfortunately he knows someones down in the basement. If anyone asked, he couldn't say why or how. He just...sensed someone down there. 

Swallowing hard he creeps down the stairs and into the dim celler. A eerie red glow emits from god knows where. He can feel pressure in the back of his skull, a weight of voices threatining to chew his sanity and spit it out. Unfathomable dread and panic overwhelm him, and his chest tightens. Breathing seems impossible, and hes frozen on the landing like a deer in headlights. It's hot down here. This entire place was disgustingly warm, but this space under the dirt was a fever blazing through a body. He felt like the soles of his shoes were melting from contact with the wood, and he's moments away from pissing himself or running up the steps and out of this pit when he hears it. 

A small moan of pain breaks him out of his spell. 

It was Jake. 

Dwight takes the last few steps on a single bound, eyes darting around the room widely before they land on the familar dirty green parka. Jake was lying with his back to the entrace, blood pooling under him as he gasps and groans in pain. His hands are wrapped around his head, caked in blood. Dwight runs past the shattered concrete and looming meathooks to crouch next to the man, gently taking his shoulder and turning him on his back. The man groans louder in pain, something Dwight had never heard before. Jake had always been silent in the face of agony in all these months of running and hiding. His face was deathly pale and streaked with blood the soaked strands of his hair stuck flat against his face. 

"Jake, oh fuck." Dwight's shaking hands awkwardly hover over his body. The green parka was waterproof, and what parts hadn't been ripped to bits were already dirty. He couldn't figure out where Jake was bleeding. 

"I-I..." Jake wheezes, licking his blood soaked lips and opening his eyes, "Fell d-down the steps."

Dwight giggles, a hysterical cackle that does nothing to calm himself. Jake reaches up, grabbing the zipper on his hoodie amd struggling to pull it down with his hands shaking so hard. Dwight quickly reaches out and helps him unzip the parka. 

"The...Trapper he..." Jake grits his teeth in pain.

"Where's your injury." Dwight interuppts, trying to be as stern and kind as he can in this situation.

"B-back. Shoulders."

As gently as Dwight can he grips Jake under his armpits and pulls him into a sitting position, earning a whine of pain as he peels off Jake's parka. The inside was completely soaked through on the inside with blood. He drops it to the side, and holds Jake's shoulders keeping him upright. Dwight stares down at the gash on Jake's back, from his left shoulder all the way to his hip. It was shallow at the beginning and end but deep near the middle. Blood was leaking steadily from the gash, more than Jake should plausibly have in his body. He takes a few deep breaths and rips the hole in Jake's tank top bigger, allowing himself more access to the wound. Wiping his bloody hands on his jeans he unites the strip of fabric holding the medkit to his belt and opens it. 

Adam had taught them all the some basic first aid knowledge a while back. One could take a real beating out here, bloodloss wouldn't kill someone unless under specific circumstances. Adam had never personally seen someone loss an arm or leg to infection or injury, but apparently he'd seen them barely hanging on by thin strands of muscle and flesh. But no matter how bad or deep a cut was, it could be healed in a few hours as long as the wound was closed up. The tendons would heal and leave no scars, but a horrible burn. He pulls out the needle and ties the fishing wire with shaking hands. The shallower parts wouldn't need stiches, he could use a few bandaids for them. 

"This will probably hurt a-a lot." 

"This is nothing." Jake says softly. Dwight watches his shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath in, growing quite. 

Carefully he stabs the needle into Jakes flesh. Warm blood coats his fingers and he wipes them on his pants before he pushes the needle through the other side of the gash. He works slowly, just like Adam had showed him with Kate's leg. In and out, slowly pulling the flesh together with the wire. Jake is tense the entire time, but silent. Shoulders rising and falling as he breaths slow and steady. Not making a peep. He notices fresh blood was still dripping down Jake's back from the dark recesses of his hair when he ties off the stitch. Curiously he raises a bloodsoaked hand to the mans hair and gently parts it. 

Bile rises to his throat when a piece of Jake's skull almost falls off after moving the hair. Yelping he jerks back, watching the piece of bone hang from the strand of skin holding it on. He starts to gag and retches bile onto the hot concrete floor.

"Dwight? Are you okay?"

"Don't move! Holy shit don't move!!" Dwight yells, spitting the rest of the bile out. He turns back to Jake, scrambling for the strips of makeshift guaze in the medkit. 

"Stay still....stay still." He says, pressing the piece of bone back into place before wrapping the fabric around his head to hold the bones together. He ties the guaze off and stands with wobbling steps he drops next to the chest nearby and heaves it open. 

Rooting around for a moment he pulls out a blue flannel and vest that looks like it would fit Jake. He lets the lid drop and turns to see Jake still breathing slowly. Dwight crouches infront of him and holds the clothes out. Jake looks at them, glassy eyes gaining focus as his wounds start to heal. 

"Your jacket it...you can't wear it anymore.." 

Jake nods and pulls the flannel on, buttoning it to the top before pulling on the vest. 

"Lets get out of here." Jake says, slowly getting to his feet. Dwight pulls Jake's arm onto his shoulder, and they stumble towards the stairs on the uneven floor. 

The blood and vomit are gone. Sucked into the concrete by the monster around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gorey bits babey!


	4. Memory 5651

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing been slow! Mostly bcs of work and all that. Also there's gorey bits here

Dwight stumbles, groaning in pain as the blisters on his calfs burst again. With a curse he drops to his knees and starts to take his shoes off. Fuck these dress shoes, and fuck the socks he wore with them. Bile oozes from his blisters, thick and disgusting. He had blisters before, but the constant wet socks and dampness was making them worse than he'd ever felt. 

"Fuck this woods." Dwight huffs, throwing his shoes as hard as he can into the distance before pulling his socks off

"Are you really gonna walk around barefoot?" Jake asks, looking very comfortable in his waterproof hiking clothing. 

"Might as well."

"You'll get trench foot."

"Nah." Dwight stands, taking a few steps in the warm soggy earth before hesitating, "...Is trench foot bad?"

"It ain't good."

Three days in soggy shoes hadn't given him vintage alignments yet. But Jake was right, he couldn't walk around without shoes. Something about it didn't feel right, and he had stepped on like four pinecones in the few steps he'd taken. 

"Keep your eye out for a chest. Big pine things. Filled with junk, and clothes."

Jake nods, looking around dutifully. In the few days he'd done his best to be nice a civil. Which was pretty easy if he pretened he was alone, walking and working in complete silence. He could tell Jake was getting annoyed with him. The way he was acting was weird, and stressful. But it was the only way he could manage without breaking down every fifteen minutes. 

"I see smoke." Jake comments, and Dwight jerks his head up. 

Sure enough, a steady collum of grey smoke was drifting up in the distance. It was different than the black smoke that usually rose from the constant trash barrel fires. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Wanna check it out?" Dwight offers. Jake hesiates before shrugging. 

"Might as well."

He was excited, since he gave more than a one word answer. They start towards the smoke, Jake walking along as Dwight trails behind him, stepping more carefully through the woods and avoiding sharp sticks. Without the dress shoes rubbing against his wet socks and blisters he felt much better. The warm water almost soothed the wounds, and the mud helped a bit. It would heal up in few minutes now that they wouldn't be rubbed raw constantly. He was excited to find new shoes, and new clothing. It would be nice to be dry for a little bit, it never stops raining here. 

Through the trees a two story house peeks from from the trees. The smoke puffs out of the chimney steadily, almost welcoming if it wasn't so creepy out in the woods. He couldn't put his finger on what was wrong with the place as they approach, there was just something wrong. Many things in this place are strange and offputting. It always takes a few minutes to really figure out just why something is so disgustingly horrifying. Dwight peeks through the door first, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. Embers smoulder in a firepit, giving off a nasty wet warmth that was far from comforting. Two other doors let in light, along with a window on the upper balcony. Half cooked pigs hung from the ceiling, much different from the rotting pigs hung from the tree back at the corn fields. 

"The smoke." Jake says, stepping inside next to him, "It doesn't have a smell."

Thats it. The inner cabin smelled just like open woods. No smoke, no cooking meat, just wet earth and pine. A bright pinewood chests catches his eyes and he forgets about the oddities in favor of finding comfortable clothing. 

"Keep an eye out for me." Dwight asks as he lifts the heavy lid, digging through the random tools and clothing. 

Hitting jackpot instantly when he pulls a pair of familar hiking boots. He quickly sets them aside and digs through the chest eagerly. In his experience when finding a relic from the past in a chest the rest of the outfit would normally be in box. Such as the sturdy, if a bit distressed jeans he wore on that day along with his goofy shirt. For some reason the bag was in the chest as well, fucked up chute and all. That can wait for dry clothing at least. 

"See anything?" Dwight calls, looking up to see Jake on the upperfloor, gazing out the window. He turns back and trots down the ramp to the ground floor, shaking his head. With that Dwight undoes his tie and starts unbuttoning his shirt. 

He sets the damp garment to the side and pulls on the comfortable blue t-shirt. It was dry and he sighs gratefully, happy to be less damp. Dwight unbuckles his belt before glancing at Jake, the man had turned around to give him privacy. It was cute, considering they had seen eachother with their guts hanging out multiple times. Then again it was all new to him now. 

**MEMORY 37328**

"Nice hat." Dwight teases, watching as Jake pulls it out of the chest and sets it aside.

"Thanks." 

Dwight snorts and drops the ragged red pizzawhat uniform to the ground. The dried dirt and blood mix had made the garment stiff and uncomfortable. The bright red had gotten him caught more often than not, and medium shirts fit a lot more comfortably in college than when he was thirty-two and much more out of shape. He buttons up the plain white collard shirt, even going as far as to wear the tie. Might come in handy as a tourniquet. He watches Jake stand and pull off his downy vest, ripped and torn to shreds, before unbuttoning the red flannel and pulling off his gloves. Under the flannel was a sweater, and Dwight snickers. 

"Didn't realize you were so cold."

"Minnesota ain't exactly warm." Jake replies, pulling the sweater over his head and dropping it on the ground. The stiches were ready to come out of his side by now, puckered flesh a dull pink instead of an angry red. 

"Neither is Iowa and you don't see me in twelve layers."

"Try moving up from SoCal and see if that changes your mind."

Dwight snickers, pausing their banter to admire Jake for a bit. He wasn't one to gawk but it was rare to see Jake not bundled up in jackets or scarfs. Which was a shame since Jake had a very attractive body. He was far from a beefcake, but there was solid muscle definition on his arms and the slight indication of abs. Jake pulls on a green plaid shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows before buttoning it up. Topping it off with yet another puffy vest.

"How long have we known eachother?" Dwight asks, pulling on his slacks and buckling them. Kicking off his shredded tennis shoes for his old dress shoes. 

"Feels like fucking forever this go round. Why?" Jake asks, adjusting the bracelet Dwight had given him at the campfire long ago.

"I just have this sneaking suspicion that the only clothing you've ever owned is flannels and vests."

Jake laughs at that, a bark that he quickly stiffles with a hand as he kicks off his beaten boots before pulling his torn pants off, "You're one to talk. All you own is Pizzawhat memorabilia and work uniforms."

"The pizza there may have been sub-par but the clothing line was very comfy." Dwight defends, lacing his shoes and looking up at Jake. It takes a few moments to really process what the fuck Jake had put on.

"What the fuck are you wearing?"

"Hmm?" Jake blinks at him innocently as he buckles on the fannypack from his previous outfit. 

"Jake, I'm dying to know what happened in your life that lead to you owning a pair of studded leather pants and- oh my god are those cowboy boots with fire on them?" Dwight gawks at the ensemble as Jake stares at him, nonplussed. 

"Oh these?" He says, kicking a leg out and examining the shiny material and boots as if he had seen them for the first time just now, "I really can't remember."

"Bullshit."

"Realshit."

Dwight stands, crossing his arms and taking on a stern voice, "Jake."

"Dwight."

They stare at eachother for a few moments before Dwight breaks first, laughing and causing Jake to break. A smile lights his features and he sighs wistfully.

"I wore them for the same reason I did just about anything when I was a teenager."

"To piss off your dad?"

"To piss off my dad."

"Did it work?" Dwight asks, earning a coy smile from Jake. 

"What do you think?"

He snickers, turning away from the chest to scan the area for the monster. They had let their guard down a bit, and he felt a little off all of a sudden. And it wasn't because of Jake's tight pants. Jake tilts his head at Dwight's sudden silence, and a crow caws in the distance. They move behind the walls that dot the landscape, not that it feels much safer. Slowly Dwight peeks around the corner of a wall, towards where the crow had flown off, straining his eyes for the monster between the trees. 

"I don't see-"

A bell tolls behind them.

\- x -

Swallowing hard he pulls off his slacks and drops them to side, tugging on the new blue jeans. They fit just like he remembers, they even have the torn knee from the shitty landing. He crouches to wipe the mud off his feet with one of the random scraps of cloth before pulling on dry socks and lacing up the sturdy hiking boots. 

"You can turn around."

Jake does immediately and his face bright red. Dwight offers him a small smile, which causes him to turn his head away in embarrassment. Saddness was near constant in Jake's presence, but he couldn't help but feel intense love for the man when he does things like that. The good things never change in people, even if everything else does. Dwight picks up the parachute, pulling the chute part out of the bag and setting out on untying the ropes. Jake kneels down and start to help, managing to make much more progress than Dwight. 

"Why is there a parachute here?" Jake asks, tying a length of rope into a bundle as Dwight tries to copy it with less finnese. 

"Its mine. The uh, Entity brings things in for us to use. Usually clothes, or weird little trinkets that don't work." 

Jake nods thoughtfully, "When did you go skydiving?"

"My company forced us to go. Some dumb thing where my boss wasted a bunch of sponser money for no reason on an expensive skydive and hike bullshit." Dwight tosses the nylon chute to the side, the bag was still usable and would come in handy later. 

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun." Jake says sarcastically, crouching infront of the chest as well and digging through it. Picking out a few of the tools he can find amongst the junk. 

"Oh, loads of fun." Dwight snorts, packing the ropes into the bag, "My chute was the only one that didn't deploy, almost died for a hundred dollar bonus. Lazar even offered to pack my next chute. Felt like a threat." 

"Shit man that's...fucked up." Jake picks out a pair if wire cutters and sets them aside, "I mean I guess near death isn't a stranger in these parts, but I'm glad you didn't become a Dwight-cake."

He snorts, taking the tools and wrapping them in red flannel he grabs from the chest before shoving them in the bag. They spend a few more minutes ripping some shirts into strips for makeshift bandages for Dwight's bag, Jake could get by fine with his medkit. Which was now attached to his pants with a hiking clip instead of a random strip of cloth. Dwight stands and feels much better about the trial proceeding. They were all geared up, all they needed to do was find a generator and get to work. They depart the smokehouse silently, heading vaugly in the direction they had been earlier. His shirt is quickly soaked, but his socks? Bone dry. 

"I see lights."

Dwight squints, making out the blinking lights in the distance. The only generator they had come across was already done, this was a great sign. 

"Great, let's go." 

He takes a few steps before he notices Jake wasn't following him. Instead the man was looking off into the distance. 

"Jake? Stop wasting time." 

"When we were in the smoke house, I saw a brick wall. It's over that way." Jake says, pointing towards the wall. 

"Yeah, that's the wall. It's what keeps us in. Can we go fix the generator now?"

Jake doesn't move, still staring into the distance with a furrowed brow. It would be cute if he wasn't wasting time.

"I want to go check it out."

"Why?" He snaps.

The mans dark eyes turn to him and narrow, Dwight's tone had instantly brought out Jake's rebellious nature. Dwight grits his teeth, and forces himself to be patient.

"There's no point going over there." Dwight explains, earning a glare from his old friend, "What are you planning to climb over it?"

Jake shrugs, closing himself off from Dwight even further. 

"We can't climb over it, Jake! If we could we wouldn't be wasting time working on these generators! We've been over this!"

"How do you know?"

"We've tried!" Dwight groans in exasperation and throws his hands up, gesturing towards the wall, "We tried climbing out back in the corn and when we get to high the wall burns us! You're being stupid just come with me to the goddamn-"

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Words catch in his throat at the rage in Jake's voice. He had never heard Jake take that tone with anoyone, and for it to be directed at him stopped every one of his higher brain functuons. It almost brought him to tears. Jake takes two steps towards him, standing only a foot away as he uncrosses his arms and points an accusing finger at him. The sleeve of his parka rolls down, and Dwight sees his bracelet still on Jake's wrist. It mocks him.

"I'm not sorry I don't remember what we allegedly did before all this. I don't give a shit how _bad_ you're feeling because I feel a hundred times worse. If you're going to come at me with this 'we did this we did that' then I don't want to be anywhere near you."

Jake's voice was brittle and cold. No hint of regret, or care for him anymore. There was no love in his words, not that Dwight deserved any right now. He stares at the man through his rain blurred glasses, shocked expression meeting cold indifference. Jake turns away from him, marching off into the fog silently.

Apology. He should apologize. Again, over and over until he made it right. 

When he opens his mouth, nothing comes out. A familiar and terrible feeling of anxiety and fear wash over him. He's stuck in place and unable to move, to escape. Failure, he had failed Jake through incompetence and useless anger. Dwight closes his mouth and swallows the lump in his throat. With nothing left to waste his time, he turns towards the flickering lights. 

The generator was vibrating with energy. Pistons on top pumping quickly and steadily. It was almost completed when whoever had been working abandoned it. Probably after a run in with the killer. It was nerve wracking to have not seen hide nor hair of the monster so far, wasn't a particularly good or bad sign. They could be busy with the others, or they were biding their time. Making sure to hunt down their prey until death. He crouches next to the machine, pulling the bag off his shoulders and digging out a few tools. He doesn't think about Jake, going on autopilot and fixing the machine.

**MEMORY 8547**

Jake runs his hands along the wet bricks of the wall. It was hot and thrummed with an odd energy. Dwight was right about it burning their skin. Climbing over was a pipe dream, there was nothing beyond these walls except for void. With a sigh he pulls his glove on and turns back to the pine forest. It was scary out here alone, which was new to Jake. Woods were always a home to him, thet never came off as scary or threatening. A force of nature yes, something to be respected but not feared. This place was different. It was wrong. Like woods around the campfire it was perverse, only silence and if one listened hard enough a hum of evil.

He frowns and tilts his head. That wasn't right. It was a hum, yes. But not the evil hum he was familiar with. This was different, an actual song. It makes him dizzy for some reason, the notes coming at him from all sides and spaces. Filling his mind and driving all thoughts away. 

Was it getting louder? He crouches down, making himself as small as possible. The hum seems to get to closer and closer. A figure weaves through the trees, and Jake hears a heartbeat in his ears. Fear paralysis him, and when the figure stops to turns in his direction he can't even stand to run away. The figure raises an arm, and throws something. 

A hatchet buries itself in Jake's upper arm, and he gasps. Staring at the metal embedded in so deep in his flesh it was touching bone. He grabs handle and rips it out, dropping it the ground before finally running. A heartbeat pounds in his ears as the hum rises in tempo, following him. This was the killer, the monster. Jake breaths heavily as he weaves through the trees, blood pours out of his arm and pain flares up. He bites down whimpers if agony as he ducks behind a wall of rough hewn pine. Glancing at his arm he almost throws up at the sight of it. Muscle and flesh pulse with his racing heart, pumping blood out the wound steadily. When he lifts his the arm sharp pain shoots through his body, and a sharp bone pokes out the gapping hole. The hatchet almost cut his arm clean off. 

Another one embedds into the wood next to his head and he jumps, looking up to see a masked figure running towards him. He stands, stumbling as he tries to jump through a window and escape. A hand grabs his coat, and yanks him back. Jake whimpers, wishing he had someone to help him. Wishing that Dwight was around as he struggled in the monsters arms. 

He knew what was next. Everything may have been wiped from his mind but he knew what was next. There is a type of pain and torment a body cannot forget, no matter how often its wiped away. When the sharp hot metal pierces the meat below his shoulder blade, scraping the bone as the entier weight of his body rests on the hook. He can't even scream, only able to desperatly reach up with ome hand and paw at the sharp edge of the hook like it would help. Through tears he watches the black eyes peer at him, bone white mask mocking him. Rabbits weren't the ones that do the killing. 

Sobs rise from his throat, paim overtaking ever part of his body. Every breath caused seemed to rub a rib bone against the hook, ever ghost of a movement sent pure agony to his soul. The pain was so familar, but so raw. His head lulls to the side and he closes his eyes, trying to escape the torment by retreating into his mind. 

There was no escape. 

In the distance he hears a machine roar to life. The sound comes from behind him, where he saw the lights. 

Jake doesn't pray. He lets out a gasp,blood bubbling on his lips. Jake hopes. He hopes for Dwight, for anyone to save him from this torment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dwight: many memories, heart sad ):  
> Jake: no memories. Heart mad ):<


	5. Memory 5745

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again, im hoping to end this at an even ten chapters but it might end up at seven or eight

Dwight shoves the tools into the bundle of frabric and shoves it into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he runs away from the generator. Stopping only when he can no longer hear the pistons pumping away. Last trial the Wraith was always quick to find them after they made progress on their goal. He couldn't tell if the fucker was teleporting like the Nightmare or just a born hunter. Probably the latter. 

He leans against a tree and wipes off his glasses, looking around the silent forest for any signs of life. As usually, nothing. He did sense someone nearby, possibly Jake. Finding his friend and apologising was the most important thing he needed to do. Jake meant more to him than anything else, it hurt his heart to know he was causing Jake pain. Dwight starts towards where Jake had walked off, keeping a close eye on the ground for the mans boot prints. The prints are faint however, slowly fading into the damp earth. Shit. He follows the prints all the way to the wall. A large brick monolith that trapped them in the playing field. The prints seem to fade away from here, and he finds himself at a loss. A few steps and his foot hits something heavy on the ground. Crouching he picks up a hatched covered in drying blood. 

Panic courses through him. The killer had found Jake when he was all alone. Clutching the hatchet he closes eyes and concentrates on his surroundings. A strange whisper fills his mind, and when he opens his eyes a yellow outline of Jake appears in the distance. He was hanging from a hook.

All sense of caution leves his mind, and he breaks into a sprint. He runs through the trees as fast as he can, tripping over a root and almost gutting himself with the hatchet. Rising he stuffs the weapon into his bag to avoid goring himself by accident and sprints forward. Jumping over sticks and shrubs in his mad dash towards the fading aura of Jake. A groan of pure agony hits his ears and he almost sobs at the sound of it. Jake swings slightly on the horried meat hook, letting out soft moans of pain. Dwight new that agony well, knew it deep in his bones, in his soul. It was an agony like no other. 

"Jake. Jake I'm here." He says, breathless as he runs up to the man, "It'll be okay sweetheart I'm not leaving again."

The mans eyes flutter open, they were glazed over in pain but hope flares in the dark brown depths. Dwight grips the mans sides under his armpits firmly, pressing his head agsinst Jake's chest and hearing the steady heartbeat as he lifts him off the meathook. Jake's feet hit the ground and he stumbles forward, breathing labored and pained. Dwight gently guides Jake down into a sitting position, kneeling next to him he firmly grasps the mans shoulder and upper arm. Earning a gasp of pain.

"I'm going to relocate your shoulder." Dwight says, pushing the bone into the joint with a firm shove. Jake yelps slightly. Leaning his head against the hook and breathing heavily through his nose. 

Dwight unzips the bag, pulling out the ropes ans makshift bandages. Jake's arm didn't look right, blood was dripping out of the sleeve and pooling on the ground. Quickly he grabs hold of the hole in the sleeve and yanks it open, fabric ripping to reveal a mess of gored flesh and dried blood mixed with fresh. Leaning closer to inspect the wound he could see that the hatchet had damn near cleaved Jake's arm off, and that a bit of broken bone was holding the laceration opening and preventing the supernatural healing. This was going to hurt.

"I'm going to set your bone and its going to hurt a lot." 

Jake stares at him listlissly, dull eyes awash with pain and fear. 

"Here," He grabs a bundle of ropes from the bag and holds it up, "Bite this."

The man nods, not fighting when Dwight shoves the ropes into his mouth. With another tug he rips the sleeve of Jake's parka completely off, sliding the fabric down over his hand and rolling the rest of the sleeve up to see the wound clearly. Now exposed the constant rain washed away more of the blood, revealing purple and black skin around the gored flesh. It made his stomach turn as he lays a palm over the stretched flesh, feeling the sharp edges of the bone sticking out. He takes a breath and counts down. 

"One...two...three." 

On three he pushed the bone into, earning himself a muffled scream from Jake as the mans body tenses below him. He can feel the two splitered edge of the bone come together under his hands, and he quickly grabs another bundle of rope. Ideally he would use some sticks or something to splint the bone, but it was more effort than needed in this realm. Injuries that would cripple them completely always healed extremely fast. He ties the rope around Jake's arm tight, maneuvering the injured appendage into a 90 degree angle. He uses the extra to tie a makshift sling around his shoulders. Jake spits the ropes out, tears run down his face and he pants in exertion. 

"Fuck." 

"It'll be okay, it's smooth sailing from here " Dwight encourages, grabbing a needle and thread from Jake's medkit, stitching the gaping wound closed. 

He wraps a few of the makeshift bandages around it before tying it off in another tight knot. Unzipping Jake's jacket he checks on the holes from the meat hook. Already the wounds had stopped bleeding, and the flesh had mostly healed itself into a crusty scab. One of the few mercys allowed by the Entity.

Leaning back he looks at Jake sadly after zipping his ruined jacket. The shitty surgery had lasted all of five minutes, and he was happy to say Jake was at least looking a lot better. Color was returning to his face and his breathing was equaling out. The man stares at Dwight with a strange look of confusion and reverence. Without thinking and psyching himself out Dwight crawls forward and wraps his arms around Jake. Careful of the sling he gently rubs Jake's back with one hand. The mans head rests on his shoulder. He still smells like pine and woodsmoke. Under his arms Jake starts to shake, uninjured arm wrapping around Dwight and gripping his shirt in desperation.

"I'm sorry." Dwight whispers, feeling tears prick his eyes as he speaks, "I'm so sorry."

**MEMORY 35753**

"Dwight..." 

The man looks up from the map he was holding and smiles, "Hmm?"

"I love you." 

Jake means it, he really does. Few times in his life had he ever felt such fondness for another person. The want, the need to be by their side no matter what. He felt that every moment he was away from Dwight. It wasn't just fear of being alone in a trial either, he wanted to be by Dwight's side over anyone else. There was no one he could depend on and trust more than the man next to him. He loved him so much that he couldn't breath sometimes. 

"W-what?" Dwight's face turns bright red and he looks away, covering a smile on his face with a hand, "I...I love you too."

"When we get out of here I'll take you on a date." Jake adds, enjoying how flustered Dwight was getting. 

"What? No I'll take you on a date!"

"Where do you wanna go? Olive Garden?"

At that comment hat Dwight rolls his eyes, playfully shoving Jake. 

"I'm happy as long as I'm with you." 

That was a cheesy line. It made Jake blush never the less. It was good to say that. To tell Dwight what had been growing inside him since that trial in the corn. That he was desperately in love with him and wouldn't change it for the world. 

"I'm happy as long as I remember you." Jake says softly, reaching out and taking Dwights hand. 

Dwight squeezes back, "I'll love you no matter what."

The love felt here was bittersweet, knowing that at eventually one would forget. That worse than dying was the loss of everything. Jake smiles nevertheless.

"I'll love you no matter what." 

The look at eachother for a few moments. Not moving, just letting the silence speak between them. His heart pounds in his chest, not from the monsters for once, and slowly Jake leans forward. Their lips brush, and he feels like he's going to throw up on the spot when Dwight leans in and turns the contact into a real kiss. Jake pulls away first, face hot and heart beating so fast he might be going into cardiac arrest. Dwight looked just as flustered, bright red under the dirt and dried blood. 

"Wanna uh, go on a date to the shack?" Dwight jokes, very poorly, "There's a generator in there."

"God you're so romantic."

\- x -

It took Jake a few hours to really recover from being hooked. He followed him quietly, jumpy and nervous. Like the monster was going to appear out of nowhere, but after long enough with no sightings he seemed much calmer.

"Jake..."

"Hmm?"

"What was the killer like?"

Jake shrugs, wincing when he jostles his broken arm, "It was a woman, I think. She was...humming this song."

That was weird. The nightmares had a weird little song, but Dwight was mostly sure that was some sort of auditory hallucination. 

"She threw a hatchet at me." Jake adds, "From really far away too."

"Oh wait I actually have that!" Dwight unslings his bag and pulls out the hefty hatchet. Jake makes a face at the sight of it, his own dried blood still on the blade. 

"Wow, that's great." Jake replies sarcastically. It makes Dwight smile a bit.

"Might come in handy, to cut ropes or use as a distraction."

Jake nods, eyes drifting away to look behind them. He puts the hatchet back in the bag and wipes his glasses on his shirt. When he puts them on he notices someone in the distance. They were on the ground, which wasn't a good sign. Dwight breaks into a jog, already feeling dread build up inside him. 

"Oh fuck." He curses, just barely recognizing the shirt. 

"Whats- oh shit." Jake stops behind him, and they stare at the body on the ground. 

Quinten was almost unrecognizable. His head was cleaved in half by an axe, bits of bone and brain splattered on the mud abd thick pool of blood under him. As if that wasn't bad enough his chest was deformed and crushed, as if it had been chopped multiple times in a rage. No hatchet would have done this. Dwight crouches next to Quentin's body, taking his arm and lifting it into the air. Under his back was a red medkit. Quentin had a knack for finding them. Dwight grabs it and lowers the mans arm, clipping the kit onto the bag before rising. 

"Should we...do something?" Jake asks, looking particuarly disturbed at the sight of the corpse. 

"Not much to do, unfortunately."

The man nods in understanding, bowing twice over the body before turning away. Dwight whispers a soft farewell to the Quentin he knew, and turns away from the youths corpse. One less person in the trial, and one less team mate to help the others escape. 

"David should be nearby. Him and Quentin usually stick together." Dwight says, scanning the horizon for blinking lights, "He's going to be in more danger alone."

"David's an asshole."

"Yeah, he's a real shit head. But he'll look out for us, and I don't want him to die."

Silence falls between them, and Dwight's thoughts drift to Quentin. Poor guy. It was rare one of the monsters chose to kill with their own hands. They were bound by similar rules so it seems. He shudders, thinking about the last trial and the gruesome reminder of death he witnessed. They better find David soon, might finally have something in common with him.

"Dwight....is that a cabin?"

Sure enough, off to the right in a distant clearing was a big ass cabin. They share a look, and shrug. Changing directions and heading towards the cabin. It was large, and creepy looking. Both dilapidated and well kept, with vines crawling all over the exterior and grass growing on the second floor, along with a generator sitting on the top. He squints, from this angle its hard to tell but he can see a figure of a larger man. 

"King?" Dwight yells, causing the man to stop and peek over the top of the generator. 

"Oi mates! Long time no see!" David calls back, smirking at them from the upper floor, "Park you look like utter shit."

"We're heading up!" Dwight replies, jogging over to the window and climbing through. Jake following behind him more carefully with his handicap. He takes the steps two at a time, ignoring the uncomfortably homey feel of the place.

"You two been havin' fun?" David teases as soon as Dwight steps through the door. He ignores the jab and crouches next to David.

"I'm sorry." Dwight says softly, "We saw him."

David's smile slips, and he looks down at his hands. A deep familiar saddness overtakes his features.

"It's fine." David swallows and offers up a smile, "Ain't nothin' to be mithered about. I'll see him after this. Fuckers sittin' pretty at the fire right now."

Dwight let's the topic drop. David was near tears, and he didn't want to push him over the edge for no reasom. He turns to the generator and starts to work on it. Jake crouches down on the other side and stares at the inner workings before reaching and amd starting to mess around with the inside. 

"Sorry."

"Hmm?" Dwight glances over at David. 

"For earlier. It's..." David laughs, voice cracking in pain, "it's harder than I thought. Loosing him like this."

Silence falls between the three as they work, turning gears and crossing wires until the gen fires up. David immedietly hops off the roof, while Jake and Dwight start towards the stairs. 

"Is David okay?" Jake asks. 

"No. He hasn't insulted me in about five minutes. Guys hurt pretty bad."

David enters the house again and shakes the water out of his hair. Dwight takes the moments out of the rain to clean off his glasses. 

"What's up with your arm, Park?" David asks, looking at the sling curiously, "Trip and fall?"

"She got me with a hatchet." 

"Damn. Huntress is a real bitch, eh?"

Jake nods, flexing his shoulder, "Can you take this off for me? I'm feelin' better."

Dwight unties the ropes and bundles them up as Jake stretches. He pulls the hatchet out and cuts off knot of the stitches on Jake's arm, earning a laugh from David. 

"Didn't tell me you were packin' heat." David jokes, "No point in carryin' that around."

He shrugs, "No point in not carrying it."

"We can use it to fight back, right?" Jake asks, staring at the tool curiously.

Dwight shares a look with David. This was always a rough topic of conversation.

"Well...no."

Jake lets out an exasperated sighs, running his fingers through his wet hair and frowns at the two, "We can't fight back, can we?"

David shakes his head, "No. Believe me I try every time. Somethin' happens to ya when you go an' have at 'em. Like the fires of hell light up inside you and ya can't move a muscle. Got myself stabbed 'bout four times by a teenager half my height a trial ago. Couldn't do shit to snap the fuckers neck."

"Once Quentin tried to beat the Nightmare with a tire iron and collapsed on the spot." Dwight adds, "I know Laurie has this way to fight back, but It's only under certain circumstances. 

Jake rubs his temples and lets out a frustrated sigh, "Figures."

A distant hum silences them all. This was the first time Dwight was hearing it, and it was just as haunting as Jake described. Seeming to come from the trees themselves. Everywhere and no where all at once. David waves them to follow, crouching and leaving the entrance of the hunting cabin. They move quickly to a large hill nearby, ducking out of sight of tje menecing cabin. Jake's bare arm presses against his, and Dwight can feel him shaking in fear. Soon the steady beat of the killers heart is heard. She was close. Dwight carefully peeks around the hill and catches his first glimpse of the monster. Bone white mask through the window, staring at the ground, then stepping out too look at the muddy prints in the grass. She was hunting them.

"Give me the hatchet." David whispers, voice cold and dangerous. Rage lights his eyes so fierce that it almost make him freeze up in a panic, even though its not directed at him.

He hesitates momentarily before pulling the weapon out of his bag and passing it to David against his better judgement. The man steps out from the cover of the hill and raises the hatchet. Carefully taking aim at the womans back as she examins one of Jake's bloodied bandages. With a grunt he throws the weapon. The axe arcs through the air, and slams into the monsters shoulder. She lets out a scream of pain and rage. Immediately ripping the hatchet out, whirling around and taking a few steps towards David. She doesn't get far.

The ground under them rumbles, and David screams as an insect like carapace shoots out of the ground, impaling David through the stomach with so muvh force it knocks the man off his feet. David whimpers, staring at the appendage in shock, gripping it with his hands and trying to pull himself off it as blood fountains out of the wound. Dripping onto the wet appendages. A smaller spider like leg shoots out of the earth and impales David through the back of the head, a gurgling scream escapes him before he falls silent for good. The carapace envelopes him with it's many legs and sicking cracks fill the air as David's limp body is twisted and broken. Bone ground to bits as the spider drags the corpse into the earth. The Huntress growls at the hole and retreats inside. Slamming the door of her house in anger. Silence falls over the woods once more. 

"What was that." Jake whispers, voice shaking with fear as they stare at the spot where David had been. A few puddles of blood the only evidence of his existance,, "Dwight what the fuck was that?"

"I don't know I-I've never seen anything..."

It was a punishment. For breaking the rules of the trial. He swallows, and rubs his hands over his face. David was fucking dead. He just fucking died right infront of them and he could have saved him if he didn't give him the fucking hatchet. He broke tbe rules and the thing below them just...killed him.

"We need to leave." Dwight says, letting out a slow breath, "Like right now. We need to find Meg and Claudette."

"Why?" Jake was practically hyperventilating at this point, "Whats the-"

Dwight grabs his shoulders and forces Jake to look at him instead of wildly around. This was fucked up, but it also wasn't entierly new. He had seen the insectoid legs a few times before, when the gates were ready to he opened they covered the generators. 

"Those wont hurt us, unless we break the rules." He says slowly, trying to calm Jake down quickly, "Don't fight back. You can run, hide, throw down whatever you need to het away but you can't attack."

Jake nods, swallowing hard and taking some steadying breaths. 

"We're almost out of this. There can't be more than two or three machines left to work on. We group up with the others, finish the things, find the door, and you leave." 

With an assuring pat on the shoulder the slowly slip away from the cabin. Moving carefully to only step on patches of grass and avoiding the damp earth that would betray their footsteps to the Huntress.

**MEMORY 42475**

He runs as fast as he can, jumping through the window in the wooden walls and turning left. The footsteps are still behind him, light and gentle as the creature runs on the course grass. Dwight looks behind him and sees nothing. But he knows he is not safe. Just barely the air shimmers and grass parts under unseen feet. This thing doesn't give up. He rounds the corner and slides over a pallet, buying himself more distance. Quickly and quietly he pulls open the door of a red tool shed and crams himself inside. He can hear the wood splintering under the monsters kick, and holds his breath. 

The air shimmers as the creature walks past, breathing heavy and low in its throat. A animalistic growl as it prowls around looking for him. He closes his eyes, and slowly counts to ten. Opening the small shed door he hops out and starts walking back towards the exit gate. A few of the others should still be there, the Wraith had gone after him alone. Probably the white shirt. He moves through the gnarled trees and sees the gate. Two of the three lights on top glowing a warm red. Hope flares in his chest and he starts to jog towards it. Two blonde heads poke out from the tall grass near the bricks, and he sighs in relief. 

"Is Jake back?" Dwight asks, Yui shrugs and Steve shakes his head. 

"He ran off your way when the thing came. I uh, think he broke off towards the big tree?" Steve fills in, pointing at the only real landmark on the map. 

"We can't wait around forever. Go find him." Yui says, rubbing her arms nervously. Her mother tongue twisting into a language Dwight could understand as she spoke. 

Dwight nods and starts towards the large tree. Jake was hard to find, guy had a knack with the crows and never made any noise. But if he focused hard enough on finding others he could sense them. Currenly Jake wasn't too far from him, a tugging in his gut lead him towards the large tree. He could see the man now, running in a full sprint towards the doors. Behind him the bell tolls and the monster comes into view. Bright white light shimmering up its legs and arms. Like a man steping out of a mirror. It weapon raises, and comes down on Jake's skull with a sickening crack. 

The man falls to the ground instantly. His hands reach out towards Dwight and their eyes meet for one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wraith running noed? Cringe


	6. Memory 5808

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New tag, don't judge me

"These generators are done." Claudette says, pounting at three circles on the map that had been crossed out with soot, "The hunting cabin is here, and the smoke house is here. Quentin's body is in the middle of those, to his left is one of the exit gates." 

She points at the the capital Q that represented Quentin and the square that was the gate. Dwight points at the hunting cabin, a square with bunny ears ontop.

"We finished a generator that was on top of the house. So that's four done."

Claudette draws a circle then crosses it out, "And David didn't leave a body but he died nearby, right?"

"Yeah, put it uh...here."

She writes a capital K, for King and sits back. Rubbing her chin and smearing soot all over her face. The crude map was a blessing, often found in the chests and tool sheds. While not Dwight's favorite choice of tools one well put together map saved a lot of time during the last few desperate hours. 

"So, what's the game plan?" Meg asks, fingers deftly rebraiding her wet hair. She was sat on Claudette's left, looking unfortunately worse for wear. Multiple stitches criss crossed her arms, and she was sporting an awful black eye. 

"The last few generators are clustered this unmapped section." Dwight muses, "There's onea in that shack. If we all work on it together we could fix it before she finds us there. Odds are the other gate is in that area too."

"Working together isn't an option. She has this....sense when we all work together. David was telling me about the monster in his last trial and how they had the same sort of ability." Claudette says, tugging at her hair anxiously, "But it would be too slow and useless for us to work on three separately."

They had really worked themselves into a corner here. Dwight leans back and sighs, looking up at the canopy of pines that kept the mercifully dry and into the dull grey sky. Weighing the risks and rewards of the plans in his head. They had already lost two, a hefty price to pay for progress. And he wasn't about to let any of the three with him die, especially when the monster was so bloodthirsty. 

On the bright side, she was very human like. Which meant no supernatural bullshit to deal with. And they were still four strong, with two good hiders and him and Meg around to take heat. He hasn't sustained any injuries so far either, meaning he would be able to run as a distraction and buy good time. 

Unfortunately she was crack shot with hatchets and hummed a disorienting song. A hunter, like the Wraith, good at isolating groups to stop progression. If they made too many mistakes she would be able to injure and track any of them down and brutally kill without the pageantry. 

Escape for the others was possible, but far from easy. He sits up and looks at the three infront of him. Claudette was running her fingers over the vine tattoos that encircled Meg's ankles. Jake simply stared at him curiously, waiting for him to guide them to the campfire. For his leadership. It made his heart feel heavy at the thought of how many people he had already failed. Two in this trial, three in the last trial, two of which were directly his fault. Even in his first trial someone died for him to be safe, because he had failed as a leader.

**MEMORY 46433**

"Jake." Dwight whispers in horror, reaching a hand out uselessly. Jake crawls forward desperatly, blood dripping down from his head and down his cheek like tears. 

The boney gnarled hand of the Wraith grips Jake's leg, yanking him back with a animalistic growl. Its other hand raises the monsterous weapon, blade sharp and blackened with dried blood. It swishes through the air and slices through Jake's back. 

He screams, so loud that the crows next to Dwight take flight. Blood sprays over the dark creature as he pulls the blade out, raising it again. Jake sobs in agony, fingers scrabling against the ground as he rolls over and raises his hands in a desperate play at defense. 

"Don't-"

Wraith roars, slamming the blade down and cutting Jake's hand in two. Another scream rips through the air, gurgling away as the blade comes down again and again. Dwight rips his eyes away, pressing himself against the smooth bark of the tree and covering his eyes. Behind his eyelids he can see the scene play out, hear the dull thuds as the monsters savages Jake's body again and again and again. 

A bell rings, and footsteps pass by him. Grass swishing in the breeze.

\- x -

"Alright, heres the plan." Dwight says, drawing the attention of the group quickly. 

He takes the map and turns it towards himself, pointing and the generator in the dilapidated shack.

"We all to that one. She may be patrolling and able to tell if we work together, but with all four of us and the tools we found it might be possible to fix it before she finds us."

Claudette nervously bites her nails, "Meg and I did work on that one a little but before she found us. It may be worth a shot..."

"What do we do if she finds us then?" Meg asks, "No offense but I feel like absolute shit, Dwight."

"I'll keep her attion." Dwight says quickly, "She hasn't seen me at all, I'll lead her away from you guys when she arrives so you can keep working."

"And if you get caught?" Jake asks, soft voice not hiding the real question behind a nonchalant tone.

"More time for you guys to work."

Meg sighs, pulling her hat back on with a determind look on her face, "Fuck it. Not like anyone else has a better plan. I'm in."

Claudette levels a stern look at him, "Don't do anything you'll regret."

Jake shrugs, which is an unhappy agreement to the plan. With that Dwight stands, the other three following his lead. He wasn't a born leader, that was for sure. Cracking under pressure and freezing up when people depended on him was his calling card. Letting others and himself down was just how he had always been. But he could learn, he could get better and grow. When the times called for it he could rise to the challenge and be the leader people needed, someone they could depend on. 

Sometimes he wondered how much of a leader he was before he died. How much he had grown before being thrust back to square one as a person. He had asked once before, but no one would tell him. It wasn't their place. 

Those were the unspoken rules around the fire. Not talking about the memories that were lost. About the friends lost to the fog. Dwight liked to believe those memories still existed somewhere out there. In his mind, or simply in the fog itself. Swirling amongst them just out of reach were countless lifetimes of pain and suffering. But also love and joy and comradier. It almost passed itself off as beautiful, if it wasn't a pipe dream. 

"Dwight, you okay?" Meg asks, falling in step beside him as they hiked towards the shack. 

"About okay as I can be, why?"

"Watching you think was making my head hurt." She smiles at him and nudges his arm, "We're in the home stretch man, loosen up."

He smiles at her, having missed her all trial, "I'll try. Also what the fuck happened to you? Look like you went through a meat grinder."

"Oh these?" She looks at the stitches running up her arms and smirks, "It's a good story."

"Oh?"

"I tripped while running and cut myself on a sharp rock."

Dwight snorts, covering his mouth as he tries not to laugh, "Really?"

"It's slippery out here."

"Sure, sure." Dwight snickers again and Meg playfully flips him off. 

He wonders how Claudette does it, really. Watching Meg die twice and still rebuilding. Not even David stuck around long after Quentin. But here she was, almost impervious to the pain of losing the same person twice. As he thinks Meg jogs ahead and starts up a conversation with Claudette, smiling brightly. She was missing a tooth as well, but it would regrow after she escaped. Jake falls in step next to him casually, hands shoved onto his coat pockets. It comforts him. They dont say anything to eachother, but he doesn't feel like he needs to. 

Out of the fog the shack emerges. Looking like a sore thumb in the pine forest. The nature of the place seemed to avoid it as well. He shudders, knowing that the basment was in there. The approach the shack warily, filing in through the door unwillingly. Dwight pulls the tools out of his bag and crouches on the side nearest to the window. Jake crouches on his left and Meg on the right. 

"Why don't we dig under the wall." Jake asks, voice barely loud enough for Dwight to hear.

"I'm scared to try." Dwight admits, wrenching a screw tighter in the inner machine, "I don't think there's anything under our feet."

Jake looks at him in confusion, and Dwight shrugs, dropping a wrench for a screwdriver, "Feel free to try eventually."

"I'll tell you how it goes."

"I won't remember."

He sees the mans hands freeze on the pherphiry of his vision. Right, the doom and gloom talk had only really been to Claudette. Dwight swallows and hopes Jake doesn't mention it again. He crosses two wires and another one of the pistons on top start chugging faster. 

A hatchet flies through the window and bounces off the metal of the generator. Barely missing his fingers. Dwight yelps and falls back, turning out the window to see the rabbit ears emerge from the trees, hum starting to drift into his ears. Now was the time. He grabs the fallen hatchet and rises. 

"I'll be back. Find me near Quentin." He promises before jumping out the window and facing the huntress. She slows, tilting her head at him curiously. 

He raises the hatchet and throws it. Dwight was never very athletic, and the weapon lands short of the woman. Not even sticking up in the ground either. Either way it works, and when he dashes into the woods she follows. Dwight needs to make this last as long as possible, he needs to keep here away so they can get the thing fixed. So they can escape. Her hum follows his, drifting from the trees themselves as he runs towards her house. A hatchet buries itself in his arm and he cries out in pain, stumbling slightly as he pauses to pull it out of the meat of his upper arm and toss it to the side. The pain is immense, and his fingers feel numb. Hopefully she didn't his his other arm, or leg. 

Dwight finally sees the house come into view. Another hatchet buries itself into the ground near his feet and he jumps through the window, running up the stairs and towards the working generator. The heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and he crouches next to the pumping generator. Pressing his injured arm against the burning hot metal and biting back a gasp of pain. The heart beat pounds in his ears as the Huntress steps out of the doorway. Dwight pants in fear, hopeful that the rumble of the generator covers his whimpers. Red fire lights up the grass, and the Huntress looks at the earth. Peering at the ground below, head slowly looking left and right. She turns to look back towards the shack and tiltls her head in thought. 

He shoots out from his hiding spot, sliping past her and jumping off the roof. The landing is botched when he tries to roll and he feels the ligaments in his ankle rip painfully. Dwight rises as fast as he can and starts running again, hearing the killer drop down behind him. Pain flares up in his ankle, slowing him down immensely. However the heartbeat fadesin his ear. With a look back he sees the red fire between him and the killer fade away as she lunges forward. The axe clips his side, and Dwight falls to the ground with a scream. 

Curling in on himself he clutches his side, feeling his guts writhing under his hands as they spill out of the gash. Hot blood soaks his hands and he can't grip the intestines enough to shove them back into his body. A hand grabs his ankle, gripping so hard he felt his bones grind together as the monsters starts to drag him away. Kicking weakly is all he can do to fight. Stones cut into his back and mud irritates those wounds as he flails. Eventually stopping to focus on the more important task of getting the his large intestines back into his body before the wound closed itself up around them. 

She stops dragging him after a few minutes, dropping his foot and reaching down to pick him up, both hands gripping the space under his armpits hard. He's lifted off the ground with little effort, glasses slipping off his wet face and falling into the grass. The hook pierces his shoulder, rubbing against his shoulder and ribs as he slides down the hook. A scream rips out of his throat as agony shoots through his body. Familiar and awful as always. He lets out a choked gasp, mouthful of blood dribbling down his chin as the blurry form of the Monster jogs off. God he hopes he bought them enough time. 

Dwight hangs for a bit, breathing slowly through the pain as he tries to collect himself. It can get hard to think on the hook, the intense pain of ones entire weight suspended by the bones of their shoulders is a special type of torture. He can vividly remember each and everytime he was hung up like a stuck pig. It didn't make the experience any less bearable. He flexes his arm, happy to find that the nerve endings had healed themselves a enough for his fingers to work. As he reachs up he can feel the metal hook grind against his bone, ripples of agony travel down his right side and he whimpers. 

The meathook is hot against his hands as he grasps it, the blood on his palms had dried enough to become tacky. Giving him a good grip on the hook. With a deep breath he pulls himself up, grunting in exertion and pain as the entry and exit wound are forced open. Dwight kicks his feet back before using all his lower body strength to swing himself forward, up and off the hook in one smooth motion. Just like Adam showed him. He stumbles on the landing, falling face first into the mud. With a groan he sits up and wipes the dirt off his face, crawling back towards the hook and squinting at the ground. He pats the grass, searching for the sturdy plastic of his glasses. More blood dribbles from his mouth, and his shoulder burns in agony. His fingers brush the cool plastic and he picks up the glasses, wiping them off on his shirt before rising. 

Breathing heavily from the pain, he rises. Limping quickly towards the exit gate near Quentin. He felt like utter shit, but now wasn't the time to lick his wounds. As he walks he holds the deep lacerations in his side together and hope he doesn't drop dead from bloodloss. Panting he looks up and sees the steady lights of the generator near Quentin and speeds up, practically running towards the machine hidden behind the wooden walls. He almost cries in relief when the spiderlike limbs of the monster under the eartg wrapped around it. They did it. They finished the generator. 

"Dwight?" 

He turns to see Jake standing begind him, mouth agape in utter horror. Dwight glances down at his shirt, now brown and black with mud and dirt. Fuck, he probably looked more like a monster than the Huntress.

"Hey." He greets, waving a hand at Jake. Knowing that his sacrifice hadn't been in vain somehow made all the energy drain from his body. He drops to the ground heavily, leaning his back against the wall near the rumbling generator, "How are the girls?"

"They're okay. At the other gate. I-I came to get you but there was no one on the hook and blood everywhere." Jake jogs over and kneels down next to him, hands awkwardly fluttering over his body. The guy probably couldn't even tell where he was hurt from all the blood and mud. 

"Good. Good. You can patch me up and we'll get the gate open." Dwight says, "Start on my side."

Jake nods, pushing Dwight's shirt up to his chest, revealing the half healed mass of scar tissue and inner fluids. The mans face pales and he gags slightly. Dwight closes his eyes and leans his head back against the wood as Jake starts to stitch the still open parts together.

"Who got you?" Jake asks.

"No one. I jumped off."

Jake's hands still for a moment before tying off the stitch. The warm leather of his glove pushes his shirt up further to get at the gorey bleeding mess that his shoulder had become.

"How?"

"Trick Adam showed me. Don't try it." Dwight warns, "It's not easy and you'll just get yourself killed." 

The other man works in silence for a bit, stabbing him with the needle painfully multiple times. Dwight takes the pain gratefully. 

"I'm sorry." He says, cracking an eye open to look at Jake, "For how I acted at the fire and now."

The man glances at him briefly before looking back to his work, "It's fine. I mean it was shitty but I understand why you acted the way you did."

He smiles at him, and wishes he could kiss him like he used to.

"Dwight...I..." Jake's hands pause on his shoulder and he looks at him, face bright red, "I can see why I fell in love with you."

He stares at Jake dumbly, trying to process the meaning behind his words. They make his heart beat faster, and he blushes as well.

"We got off to a bad start but..." Jake bites his lip, looking down before glancing back up, "You're a good person. You're kind and giving and you...you do everything in your power to make sure we can all make it out I...its very beautiful. I love that about people."

Dwight blinks back tears at Jake's words. It's as close to an admission of love as he can get, and it fills his heart with joy. Jake ties off the stich and sits back. Sheepish smile turning into a sad frown. 

"I just...don't understand how someone like you could fall in love with me." Jake mumbles.

"I don't think I could not fall in love with you Jake." 

He watches Jake's head jolt as he stares at him in shock. Dwight smiles at him, reaching out and gently cupping his cheek. Blood and mud smear his face but it makes him look lovely.

"Working with others isn't your strong suit, so you think your bad at it. You think people won't understand you because your family never did, so you balk first and isolate yourself. But that doesn't mean you're not a kind person. You're willing to help us, to work together when you'd probably be better off surviving alone."

Jake opens his mouth to speak, but Dwight leans forward, talking fast and fervently.

"I love you because you are willing to go against what is easy. What you expect of yourself. You don't give a shit what others think and while you call it running away from your problems leaving things that hurt you behind for your own happiness isn't weakness. You're so...beautiful Jake."

Dwight feels tears stream down his face as Jake stares at him in shock. He can see matching tears shining in the mans dark eyes as well.

"I love you because you think no one will. I love you because its what you deserve. I love you because I'm a problem worth facing to you."

Tears leak out of Jake's eyes and run over Dwights hand. Warm water mixing with the rain.

"You don't need to love me back, it doesn't matter. As long as you know that you are loved its okay."

**MEMORY 4464**

He breaths in the smell of woodsmoke and pine, eyes fluttering open. Jake nuzzles his neck and lets out a weird half sleep huff as he starts to stir. Dwight runs his fingers through Jake's hair and yawns, starting to wake up fully. The match against the Nightmare was finally over, and the first thing they did was find a spot in the forest and fall asleep. Normally sleeping wasn't a need, only a way to pass infinite time if one wished. Dreams were rare, and usually causes sickening saddness at memories that come with them. 

Thankfully he didn't dream. 

Jake grunts and opens his eyes, sitting up and yawning. Dwight remains laying on the ground, stretching out as he yawns along with Jake. A few bones pop and he feels pretty fucking good all things considered. 

"Mornin' sunshine." Dwight says as Jake runs his fingers through his hair. 

"Mornin'." Jake replies, popping his back and turning to look down at Dwight, "Sleep well?"

"Like a log. This vest makes a good pillow."

"I've actually used it as one a lot before getting here."

"Of course you have." Dwight sits up, groaning as pain in his back flares up from laying on the ground, "I miss beds."

"Just beds?"

"And showers. And food. The good stuff." 

Jake scoots over and leans on Dwight's shoulder, wrapping an arm around him and closing his eyes. Dwight wraps an arm around Jake as well and enjoys the silence. 

"Dwight..." Jake says softly, "Can...can I kiss you?"

"Sure!" He feels his face heat up at the dooft response and tries to play it off better, "I-I mean yes!"

They stare at eachother for a few seconds. Waiting for the other to make the first move, it makes him smile. Dwight moved to sit infront of him before gently cuping Jake's cheek and leans in, pressing their lips together. Its nice to not have the pressure of the trial for their second kiss. He takes his time, leaning into the kiss slowly as he moves his lips against Jake's. His other hand gently rests on his side, he feels Jake tense under his touch. Dwight pulls back ever so slightly and smiles. 

"You're good at uh, this." Jake mumbles, face red all the way down to his neck.

"I'm not actually." Dwight admits, "Wait am I your first kiss?"

Jake shrugs, looking away as he rubs the back of his neck, "No, but you're like...the first real one to me."

"Aww thats sweet." Dwight teases, leaning in and kissing him again. 

This time Jake wraps his arms around Dwight and pulls himself closer, almost sitting in his lap now. He rests both hands on Jake's subtle hips and gently flicks his tongue over the mans lips. Jake's lets out a soft gasp when he does so but he doesn't pull away. He tilts his head and deepens the kiss, pushing his tongue into Jake's mouth ever so slightly. This draws a small pleasured noise from the man, and Dwight runs his hands up Jake's side's, trying to get him to make more noises. Though he knows that Jake isn't going to be very vocal its worth it to try. When Dwight sucks Jake's lower lip he draws a suprsingly loud moan from the soft spoken man. Jake pulls back then, panting slightly and red faced. 

"Sorry."

"What for?" Dwight asks, leaning in to nuzzle Jake's neck. He kisses the soft skin above his collarbone and hears him let out a slow breath. 

"I...don't know." Jake admits with a soft laugh, "N-not being good at this stuff. I...I've never done anything like this...before."

Shit, that was suprsing. But also not. Jake had never mentioned any past boyfriends, or even friends for that matter. Dwight pulls away enough to look at Jake, gauging his emotions. He meets Dwight's eyes nervously, but he doesn't look reluctant or unwilling. 

"It's okay, I don't mind a-as long as its you." He smiles, fingers playing with the hem of Jake's sweater, "How...far do you want to go?"

Jake freezes up at the question, dark eyes shifting away as the tips of his ears and neck light up red. 

"I-I uh, how...far do you wanna go?" Jake deflects, gripping Dwight's red shirt nervously.

He swallows, not wanting to truthfully answer that question. Dwight didn't want to pressure Jake into something he didn't want to do just because he happened to let slip he wanted to fuck Jake right now. 

"Let's...go a little further. And if you want to stop just tell me." Dwight says, running a hand soothingly up and down Jake's back. 

The man bites his lip, hesitating slightly. Dwight looks away to give him some time think. 

"Okay....I can do that." Jake says finally, letting out a nervous laugh, "Can you kiss me again?"

God, Jake was so irresistible Dwight eagerly leans in and presses their lips together. Jake pushes back eagerly, tongue pressing against Dwight's lips unceremoniously. He entangles his fingers in Jake's hair and opens his mouth, sucking on Jake's tongue lightly and drawing another moan from the man. He pulls the man further into his lap and Jake wraps his legs around him. 

Jake pants slightly when Dwight pulls away, pressing gentle kisses down the mans neck. He runs his hands down Jake's chest, feeling the subtle definition of abs under the muliptle layers. Gently he nips Jake's neck, earning a sigh before he starts to sucks on the spot. He plays with the hem of Jake's sweater before slowly slipping his fingers under the shirts. They brush against Jake's navel and he hears him whimper in pleasure, moving to suck another hickey above his collarbone. He can feel Jake grip his shirt as his hands trail up the soft skin. 

"Fuck..." Jake whispers, moving his hand to grab Dwight's hair, tugging him up and smashing their lips together. 

Dwight rolls his hips forward, and Jake gasps against his lips at the friction. The kissing, and soft moans had been really getting to him. He was about half mast and a glance down showed a pretty sizable bulge in Jake's pants. Dwight wanted nothing more to rip their clothes clothes off and fuck Jake so hard they both see stars. Unfortunately they didn't exactly have the materials to do that safely and pleasurably. 

"You good?" Dwight asks, pulling away slightly. 

Jake nods leaning back slightly and bucking his hips hard. Dwight gasps, letting out an embarrassingly loud moan. It makes Jake let out a soft laugh and smiles at him. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm good."

He grips Jake's hips, pulling him closer and drawing another moan from the man.

"Do you want more?" 

"Please."

Dwight sits up, coaxing Jake to lay back and rest his head on the downy vest. Jake stares up at him eagerly, and Dwight leans down. Resting an arm on the dirt besides Jake's head as they kiss again. He lets his hands run over Jake's body slowly before pulling his shirts up, rutting their clothed dicks together like horny teenagers. He drags his nails over the rough denime of Jake's jeans and squeezes the suple thighs, hiking one leg over his hips and thrusting forward. Jake gasps, arching his back and grasping at Dwight's shirt. 

"God I want to fuck you."

The moment the words leave his mouth he regrets them. Face flushing in shame as Jake's dark eyes meet his. He swallows, and smiles awkwardly. 

"S-sorry I-"

"I want you to." Jake says quickly, "Don't apologize."

Dwight feels his heart race, wishing so bad that they weren't in this hell and could just...be intimate. He pulls away slightly and unbuckles his belt, unbuttoning the button and unzipping them quickly. Jake follows suit, hands fumbling over the belt as he does so. Dwight shoos Jake's hands away before he gets far. Running his fingers lightly over the bulge before unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. He pulls Jake's cock out of the plain black boxers and gently strokes it. Jake moans practically going limp under Dwight's hands. 

"Fuck Dwight." Jake grabs a fistfull of Dwight's shirt and yanks him down, smashing their lips together and shoving his tongue in Dwights mouth. 

He kisses back, slowly stroking Jake's cock as they kiss. The mans hand slides down his chest, he shoves his hands into Dwight's pants and grabbing his dick. He pulls away and moans, burying his face in Jake's neck as the man jacks him off. Jake pushes himself into a half sitting position, and Dwight shifts forward to press their cocks togethers, shooing Jake's hand away in the process. 

"W-what do you want to do to me." Jake asks through gasps. 

"Huh?"

"T-Tell me." 

Dwight stares at Jake for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts at the sudden demand and how good he felt. He slows his strokes slightly, gently thrusting against Jake's dick. He pants, thinking of all thw things he really wanted to do to the man under him. 

"I'll suck your cock. Fuck I can do that right now if you want." Dwight laughs at his own joke, letting out a pleased sigh as Jake's hands slide under his shirt to run over his body, "I'm really good at it, y'know. Got a few promotions for my money shot."

He sees Jake swallow, biting his lip to hold back a loud moan. Muffling it to soft whine instead. 

"But mostly I want to fuck you so hard we forget our own names." That's what Jake wanted to hear, he moans loud and bucks his hips into Dwight's hands.

"Do you want me to do that?" He asks, watching Jake nod eagerly as he pants and squirms under him. Dwight feels close, both from how much he loves Jake and how fucking hot this whole dirty talk thing was. 

"Can you say it outloud?"

"Fuck me. Please, please, p-please." Jake respondes immedietly, divulging into whimpers as Dwight speeds up his strokes. 

Dwight moans, bucking his hips and finally Jake seems to break. His back arches and his nails dig into Dwight's skin, desperate whimper leaving his lips as he cums over his stomach and Dwight's hand. He continues stroking, smearing the hot liquid over his own cock. The sensation and sounds quickly push him over the edge and he cums as well. His semen mingling with Jake's on his bare stomach. They breath heavily, silence falling over them as they enjoy the afterglow. 

Dwight wipes his hand on his pants. He quickly tucks Jake back into his pants, buttoning and zipping the mans pants before doing the same with his own. Jake watches him through half lidded eyes, and he lays next to the man, pulling him close. 

"I love you." Dwight whispers. 

"I love you too." Jake replies immedietly. 

He hugs Jake close, tears pricking his eyes over how much he loved the man. Jake hugs him back, smelling of woodsmoke and pine. 

"Promise me you won't forget me." Dwight asks, running his fingers through Jake's thick hair. 

"I can't promise that, Dwight." 

He knows Jake can't, in good conscious, promise that he won't die. He can't promise that he would live forever. 

"Please, Jake. Just lie to me." Dwight begs, squeezing him tight.

Minutes pass between them in silence before Jake speaks again. 

"I promise I won't forget you."

Dwight starts to cry, sobs shaking his body as Jake holds him close. 

"I won't forget you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to cut this baby for length lmoa
> 
> Also dwight is a service top and i stand by that


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you packed your lunches we're going on a feel trip

Jake glances at Dwight again. The man was staring ahead in determination, rain having washed away all the tears he had shed. He looks back, seeing the tall brick towers break though the fog and trees. The currogated steel roofing crudly propped up stood out like a sore thumb amidst the forest. He can hear the switch box on the bricks buzz with eletricity from this far away. Dwight walks next to it and sighs, leaning against the bricks and sinking down into a crouch. 

"You do the honors. First trial and all." Dwight says, pointing upwards to the box. 

"Are you sure?" 

"I've done it plenty of times."

With a shrug he walks over and pulls the switch down. It's heavier than it looks, abd it takes a suprsing amount of strength to hold it down. Eletricity thunders behind the switchbox, and a loud whine sounds from the box as one of the lights on top of the box glows red. 

"Dwight...we should go back for Quentin."

The man looks up, droplets of rain cover his glasses and block the soft brown eyes from his view. 

"Why? He's dead."

"We can bring him out. You said that when we cross the threshold our wounds are healed and-"

"It doesn't work like that." Dwight snaps, eyebrows furrowing behind his glasses. 

Jake releases the lever and glares at Dwight as it slams up with a thunk. He hates it when the man takes that annoying know it all tone with him. 

"How do you know?"

"I've tried."

**MEMORY 4226**

Dwight drops next to Jake body, hands shaking so hard he can barely grip the mans shoulder to turn him around. His face is slack and horrfied, glassy eyes staring off into the gray sky above. Blood drips out of the corner of his lips. 

"Jake...Jake please...please."

A sob climbs his throat and he wipes away tears. Slowly he closes Jake's eyes, breathing slowly as he tries to come to calm himself down. He wasn't safe yet. The exit was was open, he could still escape. 

He pulls Jake into his arms, supporting his head and legs as he stands. The man is heavy in his arms, complete dead weight. But he finds the strength to carry him. Even as warm blood runs down his arms from the open wounds on Jake's back. Dwight walks him to the exit gate, stepping over Steve's corpse as he walks.

Hope was heavy in his chest as he steps over the threshold of concrete and into the grass of the endless fields. He drops to his knees and lays Jake on the ground, staring at his limp body. 

"We're safe now." He says softly, waiting for Jake's eyes to flutter open, "You promised me."

He sits in the grass, staring at Jake for a long time. Waiting to see if he would open his eyes and sit up. The man doesn't move. Dwight wraps his arms around Jake, body wracked with sobs as he holds him close one last time. 

Jake wasn't even cold. If not for the stillness of death he would almost believe that he was alive. 

Of all the torments he faced in this hell, this was the worst

\- x -

"Oh...sorry."

Jake looks away from the man and pulls the lever back down. Dwight was staring off into space with that haunted expression Jake had seen so many times. It sucks that he's mostly the reason for that, somehow. 

"Jake."

"Yeah?"

"Can I have that bracelet?"

He frowns at him as the lever locks into place. A loud metalic screech echos through the forest as the door opens. The silence that follows makes him anxious as Dwight stands and walks onto the concrete threshold. 

"Bracelet?" 

"On your left wrist. It's mine."

Jake looks at his hand, suprised to see a woven leather bracelet. It was worn and looked perfectly in place on him. Glancing at Dwight he sees a matching one on his right wrist. As hard as he tried, he couldn't remember when Dwight had given it to him. Nevertheless he unties the cord and passes it to Dwight. The man quickly ties the bracelet on with his matching one and smiles at Jake. It looked sad. 

"Let's go."

"Yeah. Lets go."

Slowly he reaches out and takes Dwight's hand. He squeezes gently, and starts to walk towards the field ahead of them. For the first time since coming to this place he felt light and hopeful. Without thinking he quickins his pace, letting go of Dwight's hand and passes the threshold of the trial. The rain stops instantly, and he feels reinvigorated. Every ache and pain in his body suddenly gone. A smile crosses his face as he relaxes, turning back to Dwight to share the giddy feeling. 

Dwight was standing a foot away from whete concrete met grass. Rain soaked hair plastered against his forehead as he stares ahead. Dread bubbles in the pit of his stomach at the hopeless look on the mans face. 

"Dwight?" He says, taking a step back towardw the trial, "Are you..."

Thin branches rise up from the earth, blocking off the safety from danger. They appear so suddenly he takes a step back, causing them to recede into the ground. No one was allowed back in once they got out. Dwight had to know this, he had tricked him. Anger spikes in him and he marches forward, smashing a hand against the spikes. He didn't want to leave the man no matter how suicidal the idiot was. Dwight had been through so much pain but he couldn't just leave him. 

Not after saying he loved him. 

Not after Jake was starting to love him back. 

"Dwight don't do this!" Jake yells, gripping the roots and tugging on them desperatly. They don't budge. 

"Jake, its okay." Dwight says, voice soft and almost soothing. He steps closer to Jake and reaches out. 

The roots move away from his hand when Dwight touches it. Jake grips it with an iron grasp. He wants to pull Dwight through to the other side, and maybe his face gives it away as Dwight pulls Jake's are through the hole. He presses a soft kiss to the leather clad knuckles before letting go. Jake's hand falls limp and he feels tears sting his eyes for the first time. He didn't want Dwight to go. Not after all they had been through, nit after learning so much about the man. About what he had lost. He wasn't lying when he said he could see why he'd fall in love Dwight. Despite everything he had been through Dwight was there for him, when it would've been easier emotionally to let him die. 

"Don't go! I-I-" Jake swallows thickly as Dwight turns around, "Don't forget me. I don't know what to do if you aren't here with me."

That seems to give Dwight pause. Despite the rocky start he wanted desperately to know more about the man who he had loved once before. It was a feeling he never thought he'd feel for anyone else. 

"You'll be okay, Jake. Be safe out there."

He yells at Dwight as the man retreats into the Fog and rain. Begging him to come back, to not abandon him. 

To survive.

The longer he stands the thicker the fog becomes. Until he can no longer see infront of him. The thing in the dark had taken the trial away, and along with it his friend. 

When the Fog lessens Jake is standing at the edge of a forest. Through the branches and foliage he can make out the dim light of the campfire. He knows Dwight is there, and David and Quentin. 

But its not them, not really. 

Jake wishes they were dead for real.

**MEMORY 6007**

Eventually he stops at the foot of one of the many pine trees and lays down in the damp grass. Head resting on his hands. The foliage protects him from most of the endless rain from the swirling gray clouds. Dwight closes his eyes one last time, and waits. 

For what? He doesn't know. 

For the monster in the forest to find him most likely. Or for the Entity to take him for wasting time, not playing by the rules. Stab him through the guts like David and swallow him whole. 

He waits. And he feels at peace. 

Almost. 

Guilt prickles at his consciousness. Jake's desperate sobs still fresh on his mind. It's hard to walk away when it sounds so much like him, like his Jake. The man he remembered, the man he loved so much it felt like that was his only purpose in this realm. Loving Jake Park completely and fully. 

Is it wrong to think that man at the gates wasn't Jake? It was of course, he knew that he was Jake in body and mind. But the soul wasn't there. It was Jake Park but it wasn't _his_ Jake Park. The real- no...the old Jake died in that trial. 

Dwight wishes he had never come back. That when the sharpened bone buried itself into the flesh, tearing out muscle, blood and bone that Jake Park had just died in all senses of the word.

That the love of his life didn't walk back to the fire and take a seat. That everything, years of love, pain, success, and hardship, all the _memories_ had just been wiped away like they were nothing. Like they were fake. Square one. Death, but not an escape. He'd rather never see Jake again than go through that pain. The pain of looking at that familar stranger and feeling so much love he could burst at any moment for a man that didn't even like him anymore. 

Was it bad to admit he hated Jake for a little bit? Hated that he had forgotten. That Jake had broken the promise he forced onto him? Probably. 

But he can't hate him. Not fully, not while he still remembered. His Jake was dead in body and mind, but his soul lived on in Dwight. Though the man he spent this trial with was not **his** , he still remembered the one he loved. And he still felt fondness at the mannerisms, the jokes, the sheer existance of the love of his life. The parts of his character that wrre so embedded in him that they would never be wiped away. He saw it in the new Jake. And it hurt. 

It hurt that the man didn't know, would never know what he had lost. Jake Park didn't know the weight of death like Dwight did, and he didn't even fucking die. 

What are we, without memories? Do we die when we stop breathing, when our hearts stop beating? Or when we forget all the things that make us grow and change.

Dead and buried is better than walking and ignorant. 

But then again that's how the monster feeds. Over and over, fight after fight. To wring every emotion until its last drop then wipe it away. Resow the seeds and rewater the fields for harvest until the human mind unravels and god knows what happens then.

How many lives have they forgotten? How many harvests had the the Darkness wrought? From him alone and from others? How much did it need to survive? To grow? To prosper? 

Did he have enough to give? There can only be so many layers stripped away before the base breaks. When they all break, what then? When the slates can't be wiped where to the pieces go?

The thoughts make his head hurt. Dwight tries to think about Jake. About the good times. Triumph and joy instead of the loss and unknown. He's going to miss a lot of his friends. Even if he would be coming back to them physically, this part of him would be dead. Would Ace feel sad when he came back with no memory of their games? What would Jake do now that the tables turned? Would Meg be annoyed by his old self and wish for his current self? Would Claudette hate him for doing what she told him not to. It all scares him to think about. 

This was a real death, he decided. And it was scary. It made him want to run back to the exit and keep going. Keep all the memories he had made, cling to them like the drowning man clings to the life preserve. But he doesn't move. Instead listening to the water hit the earth. It sounded wrong.

What would happen to him, in the end? Would he still exist, the collection of memories that make up the current Dwight. Or would he become the Fog itself? 

That idea was the most comforting. That he would swirl around in the infinit realms as nothing but visable memory. No pain, just existance.

Maybe he could find Jake. His Jake out there in the Fog. The man that loved him back. Their little particles could get all mixed up and they'd never be separated ever again. Enternity, swirling around the limbo until...the end. Until the universe was kind, and let them go. Then maybe they could swirl around the outer reached of space as stardust. Something romantic like that. Most importantly they would be together again.

That was a nice thought. It made him smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No happy endings here, sorry guys! This was a fun fic to write, i dont usually get so sad with dwake but theres a lot of potential in the new bit of lore.  
> I like to think that the entity goes in waves, everyone forgets each death for a bit then they remember and die over and over. Whatever it takes to get an emotion.
> 
> Anyway! I have a much happier dwake fic in the work so look forward to that! 💖

**Author's Note:**

> Dwight: many thoughts....head full  
> Jake: no thoughts head empty


End file.
